Umi's Love Story!
by eeweeb
Summary: This is a Love Live! rendition of the anime Ore Monogatari following Umi and Kotori as the main pairing. Umi is a misunderstood girl who unconsciously has an ominous glare that causes girls to be afraid of her while her best friend Eli is every girl's crush. One day, Umi saves Kotori from a groping pervert and their love story begins! Better summary in the first chapter.
1. Umi's Story

**This is my very first fanfic so please be nice! I'll be uploading the second chapter along with this one because that's when Kotori comes in and I really wanted to introduce her.** **This will be a little rendition of the anime** ** _Ore Monogatari_ following Umi and Kotori as the main pairing, basically an AU of the anime. Umi is a very shy, misunderstood girl who unconsciously has an ominous glare that causes girls to be afraid of her while her best friend Eli is a beautiful girl that all the girls swoon over. One day, Umi saves Kotori from a groping pervert and their love story begins! Characters may be OOC and the plot will not exactly follow the anime, in fact it will stray a bit from it. Also, you don't need to know the storyline of _Ore Monogatari_ to enjoy this fanfic, but if you do know it you'll definitely see similarities! I own nothing but this fanfic. I am currently very obsessed with Love Live! so expect for fanfics related to it. I hope you enjoy this because I am very excited about publishing it!**

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Chapter 1: Umi's Story

Light footsteps echoed the halls as a young middle school graduate frantically searched for her target of affection. As she ran, shouts of congratulations and wishes for this graduation day to never end followed her as her male admirers watched her frenzy chase. Others, mostly females, whispered thankfully for her departure from this school as they fearfully glanced her way, hoping she wouldn't spare them a glance. The girl never faltered, she checked every empty classroom, restroom (excluding the male restroom of course), and even janitors closets. Today, she was determined. She had a mission that she refused to back down from because today she, Umi Sonoda, would confess to her middle school crush, Satou. At the brink of desperation she approached the opened door to her former classroom, taking in the scene before her.

"I really really like you!" stammered a pretty young girl to her companion.

The girl spoken to brushed her blond bangs away her eyes and calmly spoke.

"My apologies Satou-san, but I really don't feel the same way about you," said the blonde, her striking blue eyes narrowing slightly, indicating her boredom.

Umi gasped, quickly clamping her hand to her mouth in an effort to silence herself, but the action was meaningless. The fair skinned, blue-eyed, golden haired girl turned and smiled, her eyes widening again with renewed interest as she took in Umi's appearance with her hand over her mouth, uneven breathing, and a thin layer of sweat across her forehead.

"Umi! I was looking all over for you, are you ready to go now?" she spoke turning away from Satou completely and walking towards Umi as if nothing important had just happened.

"Ah…yes, of course…I am…ready" stammered Umi, glancing worriedly at her middle school crush, her own golden eyes filled with remorse.

At that moment, her dark blue hair fell to the sides of her face as her eyebrows furrowed together, and she smiled weakly at Satou. The reaction was immediate. Satou visibly cringed, lowering her eyes and fidgeting.

"I'm sorry! I'll be leaving now!" cried the girl as she dashed past Umi, flinching as she briefly made contact with her by brushing her shoulder.

Umi watched her leave, shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Ah, this again. Of course," sighed Umi turning toward her friend with grimacing.

She was greeted with pure, feminine laughter as the blond beauty wiped a few stray laughter tears from her eyes. The scene radiated perfection and femininity, it was almost as if the very stars of the night sky encircled her form.

"You really need to work on that glare of yours Umi," she said with leftover giggles laced between her words.

"I know, I know, I'm trying. Honestly, it's not like I'm about to cast a curse on everyone unfortunate enough to look into my eyes. My eyes can't be _that_ scary, they're just gold...a dark gold…like honey…maybe…" muttered Umi, examining her reflection in the window of the door. She tucked her loose hair behind her ears, slapped her cheeks lightly with both hands and said, "Let's just go home Eli!"

"About time," was her friend's response, and immediately began the walk home.

* * *

Her friend, Eli Ayase lived in the same apartment building as she did, so they were quite literally, next door neighbors. Looking back it, it probably was the only reason why they were such close friends. Eli's family came from Russia, so during the time when Eli and her family were adapting to Japanese culture, Umi and her family were always there to make them feel comfortable. They made an odd pair, Eli with her model status good looks and charms, and Umi with her dark, creepy looks. Nevertheless, they were friends since their early childhood years even before starting elementary school. Together they had two other close friends, the only girls that ever talked directly Umi without fear and without judging her unintentional spooky look. Umi had a preference for girls, but they tended to avert their eyes in her presence and hardly ever spoke to her while they fawned over Eli. To make matters worse, Umi was incredibly shy and would always tense up whenever she was around them which seemed to enhance the darkness of her presence. Boys however, didn't seem bothered by Umi's infamous "witch glare" and instead admired Umi for her many talents with sports and her outstanding grades. This admiration was rather extreme and added to the girls' already great dislike for Umi, even though none of these boys ever considered Umi as anything more than a good friend or even a role model.

Eli on the other hand was admired by both boys and girls, but always remained with Umi and hardly ever talked to anyone outside their friend group. She wasn't shy like Umi, just easily bored and undeniably loyal to her friend. They both were the top of their class, always competing against each other for the title of number one. They got along well, never fighting and always being there for one another. Despite of all of Umi's crushes always falling for Eli instead, Umi never held it against her friend, instead pitying the girls at their failed attempts to woe her unattainable friend. She was incredibly kind at heart with a strong sense for justice. Her intense passion for justice often led her to trouble as she was not beneath punching a bully, or on one occasion, hanging a groper by his shorts on a lamp post.

The walk home was uneventful. It felt odd to have graduated and to still be wearing her middle school uniform. The weather was beautiful, the sun gently spreading its light with few clouds in the sky. Wind lifted leaves and flower petals causing them to dance with each other in the warm air. It was peaceful, it was perfect. It was _romantic_. Umi could only imagine how it would feel to be walking in this scenery with someone she loved. To hold their hand and feel their warmth enclosed in her fingers. As soon as Umi let herself fall into her daydreams as the wind picked up its strength, throwing her back into reality.

"You know, you could just tie your hair back like I've told you to do countless times," remarked Eli as a strong breeze smacked Umi's hair across her face.

Eli's own hair was in a high ponytail held together by a plain white hair tie, her usual, practical hairstyle of choice.

"It would also prevent your hair from falling on your face, which would help you seem less sinister," continued the blond as Umi struggled to keep her long tresses tucked behind her ears.

"And as I've responded countless times, I only pull my hair back when I really need to focus!" cried Umi, slightly frustrated. "If I have my hair pulled back all the time, I wouldn't have anything to enhance my focus level."

"You, Umi Sonoda, are such a dork" Eli said rolling her eyes, "But I hope that somebody can look past that glare of yours and see you for the amazing dork you are."

"Eli…and I hope you find a girl worthy of your affection someday soon."

"Well said, Umi, but I'm quite happy on my own right now. Maybe you'll find the one once we start high school. When is that anyways?"

"How should I know? We literally just graduated from middle school. I'm sure the first day is sometime soon though."

Eli laughed "Well of course!"

"I don't know why, but I feel as though something is about to change," thought Umi as they approached their apartment building.

* * *

 **And that's the first chapter! Thanks for taking time to read it and I hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter will be coming right up after this. Please let me know what thought about it!**


	2. Harasho!

**Here's the second chapter! We meet a** **couple** **more Love Live! characters and as promised, Kotori!**

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Chapter 2: Harasho!

The start of their new life as high school students was rather uneventful. The only notable change in their routine was a new uniform and a new school. Their new uniforms consisted of a rather bright blue skirt with a matching blazer. They wore a white button down shirt underneath with a navy blue bow with red and white stripes around their neck. As usual, Eli looked fantastic. The bright blue of the uniform enhanced the fairness of her skin, brightened her eyes with the contrast of her golden hair against the bright color pulling her look together without any effort on her part. Umi on the other hand was drowned in a sea of blue. Her long dark blue hair clashed with the bright blue of the uniform which caused her skin to appear paler in comparison; it made it seem like she had dark circles under her dark yellow eyes when looked at in a certain way. Fashion or even her general appearance wasn't exactly something she ever cared for so she hardly paid any attention it. Umi was just grateful to have Eli and her two other closest friends in the same class.

"UGH! Who's insane idea was to make these uniforms such an ugly color?! They're clashing with Nico's pink ribbons! How am I supposed to be an adorable idol wearing _this_?!"

The girl speaking was Nico Yazawa, a loud girl with pink eyes and long black hair that was always styled her hair in two high pigtails tied with pink ribbons. She was very short with childish appearance that made it hard to believe she was even a first year in high school. Her friendship with Umi, and therefore Eli as well, began during their first year of middle school. Nico was a girl who adored anything cute, but specifically, she loved _being_ cute. Her dream was to become a famous idol with thousands of adoring fans. Many people thought she was a bit delusional because she often acted like she already was a mega superstar, but in truth, she just couldn't help being over passionate about her dream. One day, Nico was handing out fliers for a concert she planned to put on by herself and fearlessly approached Umi. Surprised and thrilled Umi graciously accepted one and promised to attend. She dragged Eli along too, making the two of them Nico's only audience members. At that point, Nico had broken into tears and refused to perform.

" _You can't let your efforts go to waste! You must fight for your dreams!" cried Umi shaking Nico by the shoulders as she sobbed loudly._

" _No one even likes Nico though! No one came and no one ever will!"_

" _No, you're wrong._ _ **I'm here**_ _, Eli's here, and I promise you that when you have your album debut I will be the first in line to buy it!"_

Umi smiled at the memory, proud of Nico for being strong and continuing to pursue what she loved. She watched as Nico continued to rant to Eli, who was obviously not paying attention and reading a book instead.

"Well Rin doesn't see the problem with the uniform! I mean it's not like any girl in this school is wearing anything different. We're all matching nya!"

Rin Hoshizora was a cheerful girl with short, bright orange hair and green eyes. She had been friends with Umi since elementary school, although Umi originally mistook her for a boy. Rin used to always dress like a boy and with her short hair and comfortableness around Umi, she just assumed Rin was male. Eli of course, perceptive as always, knew Rin was a girl and was grateful that Umi had finally made another female friend. They met through their mutual love of playing sports as they both dominated the elementary school playground with friendly rivalry. When they started middle school and were required to wear uniforms, Umi could only gape at Rin's appearance.

" _Rin! You…you're wearing a skirt…"_

" _Well of course nya!"_

" _N-Nya?"_

" _Like a cat! You know! Nya!"_

" _I see…nya…so you're a girl? You've been a girl this whole time? You're not afraid? And…you don't think I'm a witch?"_

" _If you're a witch, then I'll be the witch's cat!"_

As of that day whenever any girl asked Rin about Umi she would proclaim that she was "the witch's cat". Umi didn't mind and was surprisingly not nervous around Rin after realizing that she was a girl. Rin never explained her sudden love for cats or her new habit of saying "nya" but it eased into their daily lives so smoothly, it was hardly worth mentioning. She got along well with Nico and under her influence began dressing more feminine outside of school.

Back in the present day, Umi laughed at Rin's response. Her friends were all she ever needed in her life. They were the only ones that saw her for who she was. Of course, they held no romantic feelings for whatsoever, but she was grateful because she had never felt that way about them either. She yawned then turned to Nico and Eli, grabbed Eli by the arm, pulled her up from her seat, and began to drag her away from a still complaining Nico.

"Hey! Eli hasn't told me her secret on how to look good in this uniform yet!"

"Let's go home, I'm tired."

"I was just about to say the same thing, I mean we do have a lot of homework."

"Oi!" suddenly serious, Nico stepped in front of the leaving pair, "Be careful on your way home, I heard there was a pervert lurking around in the trains earlier today."

"A pervert?"

"Yes," said Nico nodding. Her lips suddenly curved into a smirk. "Perhaps cute little me should go act as bait so you can catch the nasty pervert and-"

"But that would only work if he was a lolicon nya!"

"Why you little-"

"Enough! We'll keep our eyes open. If Umi catches him, well, we all know things will end badly for the man. We don't really need to recap the hanging lamp post incident."

The two girls hummed in agreement and continued their bickering as Umi and Eli left the classroom.

* * *

The train they took on their way home was more crowded than usual, with no empty seats available and many people standing close together. Polite as ever, the pair gave their seats to an elderly man and a woman with a baby. While the baby cried at Umi's unintentional harsh stare the mother thanked Eli graciously with even a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks. Once they both were standing facing the window of the train for a while Umi broke the silence.

"I'll never understand how you can be so smooth" sighed Umi.

"Smooth?" Eli responded distractedly.

"Yes, smooth. While the baby's crying at my face the mother completely ignores the situation and continues to thank you as if nothing is happening."

Eli turned to Umi, a frown etched in her perfect features. "Umi, forget the baby, look over there. I think that man is acting suspicious, can see better from where you are?"

Umi turned to face the direction Eli had indicated. To her horror and disgust, she witnessed a crime unfold. A man wearing a baseball cap stood directly behind a young girl wearing a school uniform. Umi watched as his large hands raised to grasp the girl's bottom as she visibly trembled with fear, too afraid to take any course of action. At that point, Umi felt her tolerance snap. Her blood boiled and she no longer thought, she acted. After pushing herself through the crowded train with remarkable speed she roughly grabbed the man's wrist gripping it tightly, clearly cutting off blood circulation as she glared at him. The man simply looked annoyed and smirked as he attempted to release his wrist with his free hand. He was taller, he was stronger, it _had_ to be amusing that a little girl had come to rescue another little girl. At that moment, Umi's hair fell to her face, and her anger lit up her eyes menacingly as she glanced up at him. If possible, her death grip on his wrist tightened and she reached for him again with her free hand effortlessly lifting the taller man by his front of shirt.

"We are getting off at the next stop. No excuses!" growled Umi, her eyes daring the man to object.

The man stuttered and agreed, still desperately trying to free himself. In response the blue haired girl put him down and smacked him harshly on the back of his head. She never let go of his perpetrating wrist. He glared at her, but Umi simply scoffed and looked for Eli to update her on the situation. Just as she caught sight of gold hair approaching her position she was interrupted from her thoughts.

"Th-Thank you…" whispered a sweet voice.

Umi turned to the gentle sound and felt her world stop. The girl she had saved had turned to look at her gratefully. Her eyes held unfallen tears that cornered big beautiful golden eyes. Not the shade of gold like Umi's but lighter, softer, and gentle. She had long ash brown hair that reached halfway down her back. Her hair was worn loose with only a strand tied with a green ribbon as a side ponytail tucked in to the upper side of her head so that the ends added to her bangs. It was an odd hairstyle, but it suited her perfectly. Umi swallowed as she took in the pretty girl standing before her, simply nodding in fear that she would choke if she attempted to speak.

"I never want to see this girl cry ever again," thought Umi

At the next stop, Umi dragged the man off the train. Eli and the girl followed quietly, Eli walked up to Umi and glanced back at the girl reassuringly.

"We'll take it from here, go home and get some rest, you've had a stressful day."

"No! With you…I'll go…I'll go with you!" she cried her expression nervous but determined.

Eli shrugged and followed Umi and she approached the train's police station. Roughly shoving the man to the ground in front of a police officer's desk, before the officer could speak Umi went straight to the point.

"This man is a pervert. He was groping an innocent young girl and I want him arrested immediately with the most severe of punishments!"

"Look," the man said rubbing his sore wrist. "The train was crowded and my hand slipped, an innocent mistake. YOU on the other hand, aggressively approached me, attacked me, and now falsely accuse me of a petty crime."

"A petty crime? A PETTY CRIME?! You think molesting is a _petty_ crime? You disgust me. Officer, it is obvious this man is a pervert that's been preying on young girls. This should be proof enough for an arrest."

Before the officer could reply the man began to stand up with one knee still on the floor. He sneered at Umi from his kneeling position.

"It is a petty crime when a girl asks for it with their skirts so high-"

BANG! The sound of the man's head colliding with the desk echoed in the room. Umi's fist remained in the air as the man's vision darkened. As his vision blackened and the last thing he saw was fierce, dark yellow eyes glaring at him from above. Before completely losing conscious he heard a single word.

"Harasho!"

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 **I know all the Love Live! characters aren't in the same year, but for the sake of this fanfic they will be. I hope you enjoyed it and I will uploading the next chapter as soon I can. Please review and let me know what you think!**


	3. Angel Cake

**Hello again! Thank you to all those that have followed/favorited/reviewed and just read the story up to this point! It means so much to know that you are enjoying this story because I definitely enjoy writing it! Here is Chapter 3! More Kotori!**

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Chapter 3: Angel Cake

Umi was bored. She had been laying on her bedroom floor with her arms and legs spread outwards all day, doing nothing but staring at the ceiling. Every now and then she would roll over to her side, then switch to the other side, but in end she returned to staring at the ceiling. She had offered her mother to cook dinner but the whole family knew Umi wasn't the best when it came to cooking. For some reason she always burned the food or under cooked it, resulting in her being scolded by her mother. To avoid having to scold Umi, her mother flat out refused to let Umi near the stove. As a result, Umi had nothing to do but mope in her room and succumb to her boredom. Her room was clean as always and she had finished her homework days before. She glanced at her clock.

"Six o'clock. Eli should be home by now, maybe I'll go pay her a visit," she thought, debating whether or not it was worth the effort of standing up.

*Knock Knock*

"I see you've literally done nothing all day."

"Oh Eli, perfect timing! I was just thinking about going to see you but I see you've saved me the trouble." Umi sat up, sitting with her legs crossed in front of a small table in the center of the room.

Eli sat across the table and tossed Umi a folder filled with papers. "The notes for today, you haven't missed much."

"Ugh finally, something to do!"

Eli laughed. "You know, you wouldn't be in this position if you hadn't punched the man right _in front_ of the police officer."

"He asked for it."

"He did."

Umi skimmed through the notes. She really hadn't missed much, which was good. It was bad enough that she had been _suspended_ for doing something that actually benefited the community and now she would have that suspension on her academic record. In her opinion, the action should have been labeled as community service with her being awarded scholarships and early admittance to the top universities of Japan. A girl can dream. True, the man had to be sent to a first aid center to be checked for a concussion, but if you ask her he got off easy. He was lucky that they had been in the presence of an angel otherwise she would not have stopped at a single punch. Yes, an angel. The angel with soft looking brown hair, large innocent eyes, and a voice that sounded sweeter than the chirps of the morning birds. Despite her anger, Umi had been able to control herself in fear that she would see those golden eyes fill with tears again. It wouldn't have been the first time she had unintentionally made a girl cry.

"Nico and Rin should be coming by sometime today too,"

"How did they take the news?"

"They weren't surprised. Nico says she takes some credit for telling us to be alert."

"Sounds just like her. And Rin?"

"Something that ended with 'nya'."

"UMI!" rang Mrs. Sonoda's voice.

The sound of her footsteps grew louder as she approached Umi's room. Poking her head into the room she whispered loudly,

"Umi! Someone named Minami-san is here to see you! It's a girl! She's a girl!"

"Minami…san?" questioned Umi, glancing at Eli who simply shrugged. "I don't know anyone named Minami. Send her in, my room's clean anyways."

Umi's mother left quickly, obviously excited. Eli took a scrutinizing glance at Umi who sat in her old stained pajamas.

"Shouldn't you change out of your pajamas first?"

Umi gasped. "You're right! How embarrassing!"

Frantically, Umi ran to her dresser, picking the first t-shirt she saw. As she began to pull her old pajama shirt over her head she heard a squeak. Umi froze.

"Oh god…please tell me the visitor is not seeing me with my stomach entirely exposed," thought Umi slowly turning to face the source of high pitched noise.

It was worse than she thought. She felt her cheeks burn as her face began to heat up from embarrassment. She had been undressing in front of an angel. _The angel_. What on earth could she be doing _here_ wanting to see _her_ , creepy eyes Umi Sonoda? She couldn't move, she couldn't speak. She simply stood there staring in shock as the heavenly beauty turned an even brighter shade of pink, desperately trying to avert her eyes from Umi's form.

"Either finish changing your shirt or keep the shirt you're wearing on. I'm starting to get second hand embarrassment."

Eli's blunt voice broke the spell Umi was under. Shoving her shirt back down she began to mentally muster up the courage to speak to the girl still standing at the doorway. The fact that she was wearing her school uniform just like the day on the train made her seem vulnerable and Umi couldn't help but curse her rotten luck that she continued to give such a bad impression on her. First the violence, and now her lovely changing exposition. Just great.

"Man up Umi, man up! Don't glare, smile! Look gentle, don't scare her, oh please god don't let her be afraid of me. Oh good at least I'm wearing a bra…"

"I…I'm sorry…I didn't…I didn't get all that…man up?" stammered the girl

Umi felt the color drain from her face. "You heard me? I was thinking…wait…you heard my thoughts?"

"No Umi, you spoke out loud. It was a bit low and unclear though" clarified Eli, beginning to look rather amused at the situation.

"I just wanted to come thank you for saving me earlier! I'm Kotori Minami, it's such a pleasure to meet you properly! Please excuse my sudden intrusion." Kotori bowed.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Eli Ayase."

"Umi Sonoda" added Umi, finally getting a grip on her nerves.

"Well Umi, Minami-san, I'll be heading home now," Eli nodded at Kotori as she passed her by the doorway.

"W-wait! Won't you stay for a while longer?" Kotori asked hopefully, her eyes obviously pleading with Eli.

Umi raised an eyebrow and reality struck her, hitting hard. "Ah…of course…this again" thought the blue haired girl watching the two of them.

Kotori turned to Umi again and smiled, "You see, I brought a cake to thank you! I thought it would be nice to eat it as a group," She lifted up a bag that Umi hadn't noticed that she was carrying.

"Well, a few more minutes wouldn't hurt." Eli waved her bangs away. "Let's eat!"

* * *

"Wh-what _is_ this?! It's delicious, it's heavenly! I don't think I've ever tasted anything quite like it!" Umi stared at the piece of cake on her fork in awe.

"You like it? I'm so glad! It's a cheesecake and I made it myself so I was worried you wouldn't like it! I know my appearance is so sudden and unexpected. I asked about you at the train station and someone had recognized you and told me where to go. I just had to thank you properly!" Kotori was smiling radiantly, her cheeks flushing with obvious excitement.

Once they had finished the cake, Umi eating the majority of it, Eli stood up to leave.

"I'll be leaving now, thank you for the food."

"Ah! I should be leaving now too!" Kotori gathered her things quickly and following Eli out the door.

"Of course." Umi smiled sadly as she closed the front door behind the two of them.

"They would make a good pair. They're both attractive, polite. She's so sweet…but you know Minami-san, I was the one that saved you…not Eli. But I understand, I was being out of line." Umi thought, slowly walking back to her room. "It's all the same, every time. I'm surprised I even feel disappointed anymore. But this time though…this time it hurts _the most_." She looked at the empty plates still on the table. "Well, at least the cheesecake was good! All's well that ends well."

* * *

*Ring! Ring! Ring!*

"Huh?" Umi looked up from her school work. "That doesn't sound like my ringtone…" She looked for the source of the noise. "A pink cell phone? Did Eli get a new phone?" Umi held the device in her hands. "Might as well answer it."

"Hello?"

"I knew it!" spoke a familiar girl's voice.

"Huh?"

"This is Minami from earlier! I left my phone with you, I'm so sorry! Can I come get it? What day would be good for you?"

"Oh you don't need to come all the way here. Just let me know where and when and I can bring it to you."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Well, you see I go to Koizumi Girl's Academy so would it be alright if we met tomorrow in front of the fountain at the center of the Shisuda Park? At 3 o'clock?"

"Yes…that's perfect."

* * *

Eli walked with Umi after school as usual. She would never admit it, but it had been lonely without Umi during the time she was suspended. She turned to talk to the girl but found a bright pink smartphone being waved in her face instead.

"You got a new phone? No offense, but that color really does not suit you."

"No! That girl Minami left it in my room yesterday. I'm on my way to meet her to give it back to her."

"Good for you."

"You're coming with me." Umi said firmly after mentally thinking about how Minami would expect and prefer Eli to come with her.

"I am?"

"You are."

Determined, Umi grabbed Eli's arm and steered her in the direction of the park.

"I will make you happy Minami," Umi thought "I'll bring you the one you like! That is the honorable thing to do!"

* * *

When they arrived Kotori was already waiting for them in front of the fountain. Her face brightened up as they approached and she waved. Umi felt her heart skip a beat and pulled Eli along a little roughly due to her nerves. Eli threw her an irritated look but said nothing.

"Thank you so much for taking the time to bring me my phone! I'm so sorry for the trouble!" Kotori bowed then lifted up a pink bag she was holding. "I brought sweets again to thank you!"

"It was no trouble, please don't worry about it." Umi replied feeling satisfied with herself. "Are you a first year in high school too?"

"Mmhmm, so you're a first year?"

"Yes, Eli and I are both first years at Shuei High School."

"You know, if you'd like you can eat what I brought on a bench in the park." suggested Kotori, looking away shyly.

Umi looked at Eli who appeared to have no opinion on the matter. With this she replied "Sounds good!"

The three of them sat down on a bench with Kotori sitting in between Eli and Umi. Kotori opened a box that was inside the bag to reveal a display of colorful sweets. Fascinated, Umi delicately took a bite of pink one.

"Delicious!" Umi held the half-finished sweet in front of her in admiration. "What is this?"

"Macaroons! I actually made them myself!" happily chirped the petite brunette.

"This and the cheesecake…you're so talented Minami!"

"Thank you…I guess baking is a talent of mine. Ehehehe…"

For the first time since arriving at the park Eli spoke, "That's admirable, I heard baking can be quite tiring if done properly."

Kotori turned her body towards Eli excitedly, "It is! All the mixing requires a lot of stamina!"

Umi stared at her. She watched her continue to chat with Eli about baking. She observed that her blush never left her cheeks. She watched her words jumble every now and then due to nerves. She was so jumpy, so nervous. Umi realized then what she was seeing. Minami was _in love._ It was deeper than just a childish crush, Umi could easily see that as she gazed at the pretty girl intently.

"Umi, stop staring. You're starting to get that glare again."

Startled, Umi withdrew her face from its close position by Kotori's. She hadn't realized she had leaned in so close to her. Kotori was blushing furiously and obviously putting a lot of effort into staying calm. Umi immediately felt guilty.

"My apologies. I-I'll be going to the restroom. Excuse me for a moment." It took all her strength not to run to her destination, but she managed to walk away looking nonchalant.

* * *

"I need to get a grip. I can't fall for her, she's fallen for Eli already." Umi leaned her back against the cool tile wall of the restroom. "I can't make things awkward for her, she's such a nice girl. It isn't her fault, Eli is just that irresistible. It's these emotions…they're so bothersome…if only nature allowed us only to love the ones who will of us back." Umi thought wistfully, "I told myself I never wanted to see this girl cry again…so I won't let her!"

Umi broke away from the wall and turned on a sink. After taking a deep breath, she dumped her head under the running water. The coolness of the water cleared her head as she made a decision.

"I will help her! I will help her be with Eli!"

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Please review and I will update the next chapter as soon as possible!**


	4. Emojis

**Before I say anything I have an important update on this story. From now on, thoughts will be _italicized._**

 **Thought - _"Thoughts"_**

 **Text messages should be ' _underlined'_** **and italicized, so hopefully it maintains the format when it's uploaded.**

 **Thank you! I love reading all the reviews and seeing all the follows/favorites It really does make me feel all fuzzy inside! So a big thank you to all of those who are still reading this story, it means so much to me!**

 **This chapter is LONG. Every chapter keeps getting longer, I hope I can find a way to end each chapter with a decent amount of writing without it being eight and half pages on Microsoft Word.**

 **More notes at the end of the chapter, so please enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 4: Emojis

Umi returned from the restroom with her hair dripping wet, soaking the top of her school blazer. Eli simply raised an elegant eyebrow at her appearance, the only indication that she had even noticed. Alarmed, Kotori jumped up and ran towards Umi bringing her school bag along.

"What happened? Are you alright? I should have a towel." Kotori rummaged through her bag as Eli approached them. "Here!"

Kotori began patting Umi's shoulder with a towel frantically. Umi smiled and stopped her by holding her hand gently.

"It's alright, it was just an accident with the sink that's all."

Kotori's face was redder than it had ever been before. She locked eyes with Umi, causing her to release her hand immediately and look away, not wanting to scare her with another one of her unintentional glares.

"We should be heading out now." Umi continued stepping beside Eli, "But…if you don't mind…I would really like to have cake again sometime if it isn't too much trouble for you to make another one."

At this Eli's eyes widened. She stared at Umi both impressed and proud of her boldness. Kotori's face broke into a huge smile, eyes shining brilliantly as she nodded happily.

"Of course! If you allow me to, I would love to! I think my next best creation is a sachertorte…do you like those?"

"Yes! I love them!" Umi said smiling, hitting Eli on the arm lightly when she heard her stifle a giggle.

"Ok I'll be going now! Until next time with the sachertorte!" Kotori turned to leave, but turned to look back at them and wave every few steps.

She continued to do so until she reached the corner and was completely out of sight. Eli broke into the laugh she was holding as the pair turned to walk in the opposite direction towards their home. After a short while of walking she spoke.

"Umi, do you even know what a sachertorte is?"

"No, but I know I'll love it if Minami makes it. She's an excellent baker."

"Hmmm…I suppose so," Eli said thoughtfully, "She told me she does everything by hand without using a mixer because it puts more of her feelings into it…you know…Minami-san is a nice girl."

Umi turned her head sharply and gaped at her. Eli had never, _never_ said a girl was nice. Sure she got along with Nico and Rin, but if asked she would only say that they were "alright." And even that pushing it. Shocked, Umi stopped walking.

 _That means…that means Minami has a chance!_ Umi thought _I will help you as much as I can, just keep bringing cakes for Eli to eat!_

*Thump*

"Ah…hah….hah…"

Umi felt something collide against her back and a sweet voice gasping for air against her. Slightly startled, she turned to find a shocking sight. Kotori had her forehead leaning against her back while she gasped for air. A gentle hand was placed daintily on her shoulder for support and she leaned against her. Both Umi and Eli were speechless.

"I….hah…made it on time…thank goodness…hah…I made it!" gasped Kotori, releasing her hold on Umi and continuing to struggle to catch her breath.

Umi felt herself panic and her body tensed as she spun around quickly to face the gasping girl. "Minami! What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"I…hah…your phone number…I forgot to get your phone number!" cried Kotori "I can't contact you, I can't see you without it…so please…" she held out her phone to Umi. "Can I have your phone number?!"

Umi stared, taking in the sight before her. Kotori was sweating, red faced, and still trying to catch her breath. She now had her hands on her knees, clearly exhausted. Umi reached into her school bag and pulled out a towel embroidered with her initials on the corner.

"Here, keep it."

"Eh?! I couldn't! Am I that sweaty? I'm fine, really!"

"I want you to have it."

Kotori froze. Slowly taking the towel between both hands she held it against her face. Looking up at Umi, she reenacted their first meeting.

"Thank you"

Her voice was no louder than a whisper, just like it had been the first time they had met. Umi's heart pounded just like it had back then. Her voice was so pure, so sweet, like the honey her eyes took the color of. Umi shook away her thoughts and took out a notebook and pen from her bag.

"My phone number. Thank you…for coming back for it."

Kotori smiled widely and repeated her words, louder this time. "Thank you!"

She turned to leave, waving good bye until she turned a corner just as she had before and leaving their sight. Umi turned to Eli who was watching the path Kotori had taken. She had a thoughtful look on her face, something rare for the blond who usually looked bored.

" _Minami…you must really like Eli…"_ thought Umi, following Eli who had begun to walk home again.

"I take that back Umi."

"Huh?"

"Minami-san…is a _really_ nice girl."

* * *

Bzzzzzzzt! Bzzzzzzzt!

Umi's phone vibrated loudly. Her phone had been vibrating all morning in class and her friends were all curious as to who their friend was texting so frequently. It was now lunch time and she was eating in her classroom with Nico, Rin and of course, Eli. Umi grabbed her phone quickly, blushing as she read the message.

' _I can't wait to see you this afternoon 3 :) !_ _But…can I ask you something? Would it be alright if I called you Umi-chan? :D_ _'_

She struggled with the keys as she typed her reply awkwardly, clearly not used to texting. The three girls watched as she tapped each key slowly using only her right index finger as her left hand was holding the phone in place.

' _Yes you may. I am excited to eat your sachertorte.'_

"This is almost too sad to watch," Nico finally said. "We really need to teach you how to text properly. Use your thumbs Umi, _thumbs_."

"Who are texting nya?" Rin suddenly appeared behind Umi, peering over her shoulder. "Uwaaaa, those are such cute emojis!"

"RIN!" Umi covered her phone immediately, looking extremely embarrassed. "It's rude to peek at people's conversations!" she scolded.

"Emojis?" Nico eyed Umi suspiciously. "There's only one type of person capable of texting something cute like emojis…and that's…" The girl with pigtails stood up dramatically, placing a hand on her chest, "a girl almost as cute as Nico!"

"She's way cuter!" Umi's eyes widened, covering her mouth with her hands as soon as the words left her lips. "N-no, forget that. I meant nothing by it…"

Eli smirked. Her smug smile did not go unnoticed by the either Rin or Nico.

"OH! Eli knows something! Rin wants to know! Rin wants to know!"

"Nico deserves to know!"

"Ah well, I can only guess. After all, it's rude to spy on people's conversations, right Umi?" Eli winked at her best friend. "I'm guessing its Minami-san, the girl Umi saved from that groper on the train."

Both Nico and Rin turned to Umi expectantly.

"W-well yes. There's nothing wrong with that!" declared Umi. "We are friends after all, both Eli and I are friends with her! Minami bakes delicious cakes and we've all eaten them together. You should see how good Minami and Eli look together!"

At this Eli looked completely taken aback.

"What an odd thing to say…" she finally said giving Umi a hard unreadable look.

"Cake! Rin wants cake! How could you eat cake without Rin nya?" The green eyed girl looked honestly offended.

Nico's eyes lit up. Still standing she jumped up excitedly.

"I know! Let's all go meet Minami-san!"

"Good idea Nico-chan! Let's go right now nya!"

Rin and Nico high fived and began to gather their things and trying to run past Umi.

"HOLD IT." Umi stopped them by effortlessly by grapping their blazers from behind. "I never agreed to this! It would be rude to intrude on Minami by bringing more people."

"I think you're forgetting a more important factor in this Umi." Eli said smoothing her skirt as she stood up too. Looking at the two girls being held by the collars of their blazers she elaborated.

"School isn't over yet."

* * *

"So you're going to meet Minami-san today?"

Eli and Umi were walking together after school as usual. In the end, both Nico and Rin weren't able to tag along like they had intended to. The two of them had received poor test scores and were forced to stay after school to take extra lessons in preparation to retake the test. Umi felt guilty for feeling relieved that the two eccentric girls had to stay, but this way they wouldn't be able to follow her to Minami and she couldn't get let them intrude on Minami's precious time with Eli.

"Nope. _We_ are."

"Why me?"

Umi wrapped her arm around Eli's and firmly lead her towards the park again.

"Not this again."

"Oh quit it, it'll be great! We get cake and you get to see Minami!"

" _I'm bringing Eli! Don't worry Minami! Just leave it to me, I will bring you your happiness!"_

* * *

Kotori stood in front of the fountain just as she had the time before. Seeing Umi come into view her face lit up and smiled brightly. As Eli closely followed, her face fell slightly for a moment but she quickly recovered.

" _She must be nervous to see Eli_." Umi thought.

The three of them ended up sitting at the same bench, with Kotori between Eli and Umi.

"I knew I liked sachertorte! This is the best chocolate cake I've ever had!" Umi relished the taste of chocolate filling her mouth with every bite.

"I'm so glad! It was so much fun making it especially because…" Kotori squirmed in her seat, "especially because I knew it was for you…"

" _I understand Minami. You wanted to impress Eli. Good work!"_

"They're so good! I can't stop eating them!" Umi eagerly accepted more as Kotori pulled out another box from her bag.

"Good thing you work out." commented Eli, also accepting more cakes from Kotori.

"Eh?! You work out?"

Umi nodded. "I lift weights. When I was younger I had this insane dream of being an Olympic-style weightlifting champion. I'm not interested in competing so much anymore but I still enjoy the discipline the sport requires."

"That's so cool!"

Eli laughed. "Umi may not look so muscular, but I assure you, she can lift heavier things than an average adult male can."

"What made you so interested in weightlifting? Did you have some inspiration?"

Umi thought for a moment. The truth was, she had seen girls screaming for a weightlifting champion during a tournament of TV. They had squealed when the man had flexed his muscles by his head lifting a few girls while they clung to his arms.

" _I was so delusional to think that would happen to me. I can't tell Minami that I started so that I could get girls!"_

"I just…you know…thought it'd be cool."

Eli stood up.

"I'm going to buy something to drink. Do you two want anything?"

"Oh my goodness I completely forgot about drinks! I should have brought something, I'll go with you." Kotori stood up too.

"No no, don't worry about it. You always bring us cake, this is the least I can do. You can stay here with Umi."

"O-oh…well ok!"

" _Smooth Eli. You're acting perfectly! Good job!"_

Kotori sat back down as Umi watched Eli walk away.

"Eli is really cool isn't she?"

"Eh? Yes, she is pretty cool."

Umi nodded. "Of course you think so. She's gorgeous, even prettier than a model. She's also very smart you know."

"Oh, I see…I'm sure Umi-chan is smart too!"

Umi laughed. "Eli and I are always competing for the top spot in the class. Sometimes I win, sometimes she does. We don't really keep scores though. Nico might though, she's the type to."

"S-she? Who's…who's Nico? Is she…Umi-chan's girlfriend?"

"Nico? Nah, she's just a friend. I have another friend named Rin too. With Eli, the four of us usually hang out during school and sometimes after school. Eli's been my friend the longest though. So I assure you Minami, I know her well." Umi winked at Kotori confidently in assurance. "She called you nice, and believe me, that's a good sign."

"Oh…I see…"

Umi bit into another little cake, tasting a new flavor.

"Oh! It's crunchy!"

"You got the prize!" Kotori clapped her hands excitedly. "It's a chestnut, and it's the prize of the box! Hooray for Umi-chan!"

Umi felt her heart clench. _"She's so cute…I…I like her…"_

When Umi didn't respond, Kotori spoke again. "I know it's not much a prize but…I thought it'd be fun…"

" _GET A GRIP!"_ Umi screamed in her head.

"I loved it!"

Kotori beamed and clapped her hands again, giggling happily.

" _This is for the best."_

Eli returned and passed the drinks to Kotori and Umi. They both accepted them, thanking Eli as they took them in their hands.

"Do you think I can make cakes for you again for Umi-chan?"

"Of course."

" _Don't worry Minami. I'll keep myself in check. We will continue this until Eli realizes your feelings!"_

The three of them were standing on the sidewalk outside the park, ready to depart on their separate ways.

"Thank you for the cake Minami-san."

"It was no problem! I'm glad you enjoyed it!" Kotori turned to Umi. "Would it…would it be alright if I continued texting you? You know…about what cakes you like…and stuff…"

Umi nodded. "Mmmhmm! Of course!"

" _I understand."_

"Why don't you and Eli exchange phone numbers too?"

"Eh? Is that alright with you Ayase-san?"

"I don't mind."

After the exchange, Kotori smiled and turned away skipping as she went. She turned to wave at them at the corner of the street, but as she did the young girl slipped and fell, twisting her foot.

"Minami!"

Out of nowhere there was a loud creaking sound, the sound of steel wires breaking. Umi didn't think. She ran. A large steel beam fell from a nearby construction site, landing vertically with one edge on the ground. The other end fell towards Minami who was holding her foot fearfully, too afraid to move.

"Minami!"

Suddenly Umi was holding the beam, sweating with her face red from the effort. At the same time Eli had run over and shielded Kotori with her body. Through gritted teeth Umi gave her orders.

"Get…Minami…out of here!"

Eli didn't need to be told twice. She pulled Kotori away from the beam, making sure she was a safe distance away.

" _There you go Minami…I saved you again…at least…at least you know what it feels like to be in Eli's arms…even if I was the one who saved you…but it's ok. It was my honor to save the one I love."_

Umi's arms ached. She struggled to hold the beam upright, feeling her knees shake and weaken from her effort. Her training in weightlifting had kept her from failing this far, but she knew she wouldn't last. The seconds felt like hours as she gasped for air, begging the gods for strength.

She felt the load lesson, her arms relishing the slight weight loss.

"You're not…the only one that works out Umi."

"I'm…I'm actually quite strong too!"

Umi turned to head to see Eli and Kotori behind her, helping her lift the beam upwards. Seeing Kotori struggle to help even with her injured foot stirred something within her. She felt the strength of the gods rush through her and with one mighty heave, she cried.

"Look out!" She lifted the beam higher and managed to shift it to their sides, away from harm's way.

Umi collapsed on the ground. Her whole body was shaking. Not even she knew how she had been able to hold up that heavy steel beam in first place. Looking at it, it was impossible, and yet, she had done it. Her muscles ached and with that she knew she had paid a heavy price for her achievement.

She would be sore for days.

* * *

*Bzzzzzt Bzzzzzt! Bzzzzzzt! Bzzzzzzt!*

Umi turned in bed to reach for her phone. Even this simple action hurt. She read the caller id

 _Kotori Minami_

"Hello? Umi-chan? How are you feeling? Are you ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine, I'm just a little sore."

The more bitter side of her couldn't help but think, _"Heh, a_ little _sore. Yeah right."_

"I was wondering…would you like to meet up next weekend…just the two of us…without Ayase-san?" squeaked the voice from the phone.

"Without Eli?"

" _Come to think of it, I don't Minami has ever told me her feelings about Eli."_

"Sure! Next week sounds good!"

"Yay! I'll text you later! Get some rest ok? Bye!"

"Good bye."

" _I see. Minami is finally ready. She's finally ready to ask for love advice about Eli!"_

* * *

 **And that's chapter 4! I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **I just wanted to quickly mention that I know Umi is actually really pretty and I do love her and think she's beautiful. For the sake of this story I needed to find something girls might find unappealing and I could only think of her glare that she gets when she's about to scold Honoka or something. I just took that glare and exaggerated it so that it would fit in with the story.**

 **Also, I know it is unrealistic for Umi to be able to hold such a giant steel beam used for construction, but let's face it. Umi is just awesome. ;D**

 **Please review! I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as possible!**


	5. Eli's Favorite Cake

**Chapter 5 is here! I hope you enjoy it! Another big thank you to all of those who have read/favorited/followed this story!**

 **More notes at the end of the chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Eli's Favorite Cake

" _In the end, I will get what I asked for. I will never see those precious eyes fill with tears again, that is more than enough. I will make sure that Eli keeps you happy. Your happiness and Eli's happiness, will become my own joy. I am an honorable person, I will not let my feelings get in the way. Don't worry Minami. I will never confess my feelings for you. I won't put you in that situation. I won't make it awkward. That is my promise."_

Umi walked towards her park, on her way to meet Kotori as they had agreed on over a week ago. Her body had recovered from the construction site accident, but it had been days before she was even able to get up from bed without wincing from the pain. Eli would come over every day to help with even the most menial tasks such as getting a glass of water or reaching for the remote control. She would come along after school and stay until it was time for Umi to sleep. She would tuck Umi in and leave, turning the light off so that Umi wouldn't have to.

" _Eli is my best friend. She's done so much for me. Judging by the compliments she's given Minami, she must be interested in her too. This makes things much easier, because there is more at stake. This way, I know I'll never hold those two back."_

The park came into view as Umi turned the final corner of her route. She could feel the spring breeze gently hit her hair. The trees were in full bloom, there were flowers in every bush, with a lively green covering every plant in the area as she entered the park. The grass was just as green and she was tempted to lie down and face the bright blue sky. She could just imagine laying there with Kotori, gazing at the clouds together, laughing at the shapes they made. She shook her head sadly. It wasn't meant to be. Instead she looked for their usual bench and sat down. She was early, but she didn't mind waiting. It would give her more time to think and get a hold of herself.

"Umi-chan!"

Umi felt her face heat up as she looked to see the owner of voice. She was _beautiful_. She wore her hair in loose braids with soft makeup applied delicately on her face, enhancing her perfect features. Her dress was white, with ruffles on the edge of the skirt, and a bow wrapped around her waist. Covering her arms and shoulders was a soft pink cardigan with cute flower buttons that complimented her white dress. Kotori approached happily, her low heeled sandals clicking on the cement.

" _Heels too? Is it just me or does it seem like she dressed up for today? She looks…especially cute."_

"I'm sorry I'm late! Did you wait long?"

Umi mentally slapped herself. "No, not at all. You're actually early, I just happened to be a bit earlier that's all."

"Ah, ok!" Kotori plopped down beside Umi. "How are you feeling? Are your muscles doing ok?"

"I'm fine, it just needed some time. I was even able to practice my archery this morning."

"Archery?"

Umi nodded. "After I gave up wanting to be an Olympic-style weightlifter, I looked for another sport with a good amount of discipline. So I studied kendo until I mastered it and got bored. Finally, I started practicing archery, and I stuck with it. The concentration the sport requires relaxes me, and I enjoy the physical training it requires too. I still like weightlifting too though, so I balance both."

"Wow…you're so amazing…oh!" Kotori pulled out a small container. "I forgot to mention that I brought tea today too! And cookies!"

Umi accepted both thankfully, excited for the treats. Biting into the first was like taking a bite into heaven, the taste was divine. She couldn't help but notice that the cookies were heart shaped. Umi didn't know if she would be able to eat store bought cookies ever again.

"Delicious! You never fail to impress, Minami." Umi finally said after eating several cookies.

"Thank you…I made sure not to forget the tea this time! Ayase-san was so nice to buy them last time but I still feel guilty about it…"

Seizing her chance, Umi quickly responded, "Ah yes. Eli is a good person isn't she? She's kind, pretty, smart and she thinks highly of you Minami! This is excellent news! We've been friends our whole life and no one knows her better than I do, she even came over every day while I was still sore to take care of me. I assure you, there is no one else like her."

Umi turned her head away from Kotori to face forward on the bench, satisfied with her input. She continued to eat in silence viewing the peaceful park before her. A moment later, she heard a sniffle. Confused, she turned to face Kotori, a jolt coursing through her as she realized what the source of the noise was. Kotori was _crying_.

" _No…it can't be…why? What did I do? What's going on? I…I never wanted to see this sight ever again…what could it be…?"_

"M-m-minami! What's wrong? Are you alright? What can I do to help?"

Kotori wiped a tear away hiding her face from Umi.

"It's n-nothing…I…it must be allergies…no…my contacts slipped…there's just something in my eyes that's all." Kotori stood up abruptly. "I have to go! I'm so sorry! I just…I can't…I'm sorry!"

With that Kotori ran in the direction she had come, wiping her eyes frantically. Umi was frozen in place, unsure of what to do. She debated whether or not to follow her and find out what's wrong. She knew she could easily catch up and stop her, but should she? She couldn't decide, and before she could Kotori was already out of sight, the only evidence of her being there were the cookies on her lap. She sat there thinking of all the possible reasons for Kotori's behavior. Then, it hit her. Her eyes narrowed angrily, her eyebrows furrowed together in her infamous glare. Only this time, her look was fully intentional.

" _I hope you're not the one who made her cry, Eli."_

* * *

Bang!

Umi slammed the door open, with no control over her strength. Eli didn't even look up from where she was sitting by her desk, reading a book.

"No knocks? That's rude Umi. I could have been undressed for all you know."

"What did you do?! WHAT did you do to Minami?!" growled Umi making her way to Eli who still didn't look in the least bit concerned about Umi's behavior. "She was _crying_. CRYING. As soon as I mentioned you, she started crying! You have each other's phone numbers now, so… . !"

Finally, Eli looked up, sighing as she placed a bookmark to save her page.

"And what makes you think _I'm_ the one that made her cry?"

"What?! It isn't like you to be this _dense_ Eli. She likes you! She's done so much to get your attention only for you not to notice? I refuse to believe that."

Eli gaped at Umi. "You…you _did not_ just call _me_ dense! You're the dense one here!" Eli put her book down on her desk and took her face in her hands. "Oh Umi, you're such an idiot! This explains everything."

"And how exactly am I an idiot?"

Eli paused, looking conflicted. After a couple moments of internal struggle she spoke.

"Look. I'm just gonna say it. I'm tired of this, it's getting annoying and it's obviously gotten out of hand. I should have just done this in the beginning, but I wanted to be respectful." She pointed at her bed. "Sit, Umi."

It wasn't a request. The cool headed blond looked at her expectantly. Realizing that she wouldn't get any answers without listening to her, Umi forced herself to sit down.

"Well?"

"I'm going to say this, in the most obvious manner I can possibly think of." Eli took a deep breath. "Minami-san doesn't like me." She held up a hand to stop Umi who was about to interrupt. "Minami-san likes _you._ "

Now it was Umi's turn to gape.

" _No, it can't be…it can't…it's not possible!"_

"You've obviously misunderstood something." Umi managed to say.

"Have I? Well let me tell you a little story then," Eli's eyes narrowed, daring Umi to interrupt. "The three of us ate macaroons at the park after returning a pink cell phone. At some point, a certain blue haired girl went to the restroom to apparently, soak her head in water from the sink. Do you follow?"

Umi nodded dumbly.

"It was then when Minami-san asked me a couple of very interesting questions. She first asked, 'Are you and Umi dating?' to which I obviously replied 'no'" Eli paused. "She then asked, 'Is it alright for me to like her?' and I said 'yes'. I was pretty sure you liked her too, so I wanted to make sure she knew that she could and should pursue you."

"W-what?"

Eli continued. "She then told me that it was impossible not to like you and that she would fight hard to win your love, even if she thought she had no chance to be with you. She asked me not to tell you though, which is why I never mentioned this before." Eli smiled. "I promised that I would cheer her on."

Umi's mouth felt dry. It was too much. This information was _ridiculous_. While she desperately wished it were true, she refused to accept it. She wouldn't give herself false hope, her heart wouldn't be able to handle the disappointment.

"But don't you like her Eli?"

"Me? Whatever gave you that idea?"

"You said she was a nice girl. A _really_ nice girl."

"That's because she is, Umi."

"But you never say that about people!" cried Umi. "That was the first time I've ever heard you say something like that about _anyone!_ "

"I don't?" Eli frowned. "Come to think of it, you do have a point there…"

"See! You do like her!"

The blue eyed girl shook her head. "I don't. I said she was nice because she is. She even ran back to get your phone number. Umi, she really likes you. She's the only nice girl out of all the girls you've ever liked! I needed you to know that."

Umi started to reply but stopped. Something Eli had said caught her attention.

"What makes you say that all of my past crushes weren't nice?"

Eli looked away. "That is irrelevant."

"Eli?"

"…"

"Please?"

Eli sighed heavily. "I was only trying to protect you," she looked back at Umi, "they were awful girls…they hated you…all of them. Every single one of them talked bad about you, made fun of you, and whenever they found out that you liked them they would be disgusted. Some of them were even the source of all the rumors, lying to people and saying that you put a curse on them so that they could be pitied." Eli looked disgusted. "I'm offended that such a type of person would ever be interested me. I would never date anyone that talked so poorly about my best friend."

Umi felt as if she had been punched in the gut. No, it felt worse. She couldn't believe she had wasted so much time doodling hearts in her notebooks around those girls' names, daydreaming about them being together. She felt humiliated.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. This is why I never supported you confessing. When you were going to confess to Satou-san at our graduation Nico convinced her to leave the ceremony as soon as possible by saying there was some huge sale at her favorite store or something. Rin's job was to keep you busy and she did her part well, except that you were so determined to confess and decided to run through the halls searching for her." Eli ran a hand through her bangs. "I was in the classroom in case you checked there ready to stop you and drag you home, I never expected her to show up and confess to me…and for you to see…I'm sorry you had to see that Umi. I'm sorry you've always had to see that…"

"Eli…"

"Minami is different Umi. That is why I said she was nice."

" _Eli…she's an even better person than I thought she was…she never dated any girls for my sake…I know I should be angry about her keeping the truth about them from me, but I can't bring myself to be."_

"But that's just it Eli. Minami is nice. That doesn't mean that she likes me."

*Knock knock*

"Eli? There's a girl named Minami-san that's here to see you. Should I let her in?" called Eli's mother.

"Yes that's fine. Let her in."

"I told you she liked you Eli. Why else would she be here?"

"No, she doesn't. And you're about to get the ultimate proof." Eli lifted the skirt of her bed. "Get under here. Now."

"What?!"

"You need to hear this. It's the only way to get through to that thick skull of yours."

"But-"

"Now!"

Umi scrambled under the bed forcing herself to stay calm as she heard the door open. Her heart was pounding so loudly, she was sure she would be caught.

"I messed up." Those were the first words that came out of Kotori's mouth. Her voice was still shaky. It was obvious that she had been crying.

"What happened?" Eli's voice sounded calm, as though nothing had happened. As though Umi was not hiding under the bed listening to every word that was said.

"I…I cried in front her! I cried in front of her…and then I ran!"

Umi flinched.

"And why did you cry?"

There was a long pause. Umi wished she could see what was happening.

"She kept talking about you…I think…I think she likes you…and…that hurt me…it hurt me so much!"

"Ah, I see. But you already know that Umi and I are just friends. I'm pretty sure she's not interested in me, and I'm not interested in her. So, with that in mind, I ask. What will you do now Minami-san?"

"I won't give up! I'll never meet a girl like Umi-chan ever again! I can't just let her go! I like Umi-chan!"

Eli's grinned with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Minami-san, I didn't quite hear that last part. Say it again, louder please."

"I…I like Umi-chan!"

"Again."

"I like Umi-chan!"

"And one more time, to close it off."

"I like Umi-chan!" cried Kotori, putting her whole heart into her words.

Eli's smile softened. She leaned down to pull up the skirt of her bed.

"Now, did you hear that Umi?"

Kotori gasped.

Umi wanted to push the bed off of her, not wanting to waste time crawling from under it. Knowing full well that the bed was not nearly as heavy as some of things she has carried, she decided to lift it off her. Lifting the entire bed, she pushed it on its side against the wall. Although annoyed by this, Eli didn't complain. She simply picked up her book again and began to read. Umi stood in her place staring at Kotori, who could only watch the whole process in shock.

"Y-you're horrible!" Kotori pointed at Eli accusingly "You tricked me! How could you? I trusted you!"

"Minami…"

Kotori turned to Umi, looking pale. "I'm so sorry!"

Umi shook her head. She took a deep breath and cried, "I've liked you since the first moment I saw you!"

Kotori's eyes widened, her mouth forming the shape of a cute "oh". Her cheeks grew pink and small tears gathered at her wide eyes.

"I've liked you since I first saw you!" The brunette countered.

Time stood still. They both stared at each other. Umi took another deep breath and stepped towards her.

"Minami. Would you allow me to be the one to bring you happiness? Will accept me by your side as your…" Umi paused to gather up her strength. "Will you be my girlfriend?

Overwhelmed Kotori nodded her head furiously. At last she was able to say,

"If you would have me, then I would love to be your girlfriend, Umi-chan."

* * *

The trio sat on their bench in the park. Yes, _their_ bench. At this point, the bench had become a part of their friendship, after all it was their special place to enjoy Kotori's cakes. This time, Eli sat with a huge cake on her lap. It was covered in white frosting with words written across the top with chocolate syrup.

 _Thank you Eli. Thank you for our happiness._

Eli smiled, a tinge of pink overtaking her cheeks.

"No you two. You have made me happy." She looked at Umi, flashing her a rare, dazzling smile. "Who wouldn't want their best friend to be happy? I can't wait for Nico and Rin to find out."

"She's so cool!"

"I know!"

Both Umi and Kotori began chatting excitedly about how cool and perfect Eli was. Chuckling quietly to herself Eli looked up at the sky.

" _This is the best cake I've ever had."_

"Ehehe. Harasho!"

* * *

 **This is not the end of the story! Umi and Kotori may have gotten together but there is still more to come.**

 **Also, I want to say that all 9 members of muse WILL be present in this story, so please stay tuned!**

 **We'll see a couple more muse members in the next chapter.**

 **Please review! I'll be uploading the next chapter asap!**

 **Thank you! :D**


	6. Friends

**Chapter 6 is finally here! Again, I thank everyone who has taken the time to read/favorited/followed this story up to this point, it means so much!**

 **Introducing, two more muse members and one more Love Live! character. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 6: Friends

It had been two weeks since Umi and Kotori confessed to each other and both girls couldn't be happier. They still blushed at each other's actions, still felt their hearts pound at the sight of one another, and most importantly, it was as if their feelings for each other grew stronger each day. Meeting in the park became a frequent occurrence, and Umi always brought Eli along so that she could have some of Kotori's cakes too. Eli was always happy to join, and the trio easily got along with another despite Umi and Kotori now being a couple. Although in a relationship, they were still sure to include Eli in their activities not because they felt like they owed her, but because she had become a close friend to Kotori as well. Today was one of their usual gatherings at their bench in park, with Umi sitting in the middle excited to see what delicious treat Kotori had decided to bring.

"Today I decided to make Japanese sweets! It's my first time making them, so I hope they turned out ok." Kotori lifted her bag onto her lap, pulling out a square container with a lid. "Please try some!"

Umi happily reached into the box to pull out a few of the sweets. Popping the first into her mouth, she closed her eyes and heavenly taste.

"Minami, I don't think I'll ever be able to buy store bought sweets again," declared Umi, now staring at the rest of the sweets in her hand in awe.

"You say that about every single thing Minami-san makes," remarked Eli. She hummed appreciatively as she tasted her first sweet.

"You're too kind," Kotori tucked a strand of hair behind her ear shyly, "Actually, an old friend of mine's family owns a sweet shop, so these are inspired by my favorite ones from their store. They're not nearly as good as theirs though."

"They're better than yours? That's impossible! Everything you make is the best!"

"Thanks Umi-chan! We should definitely go sometime! I really want to introduce you to my friend anyways! She's been my friend for probably as long as Eli has been yours. Although, it _has_ been a while since we last talked…"

"Oh, then I must meet her. I would love to meet any friends of yours Minami."

"She's a bit hard to hang out with because we go to different schools now and she has a different schedule. Thinking about it, I don't even know what school she even goes to…I haven't seen her since middle school...but…I actually do have a request for you…" Kotori squirmed in her seat. "You see, a couple of my friends that do go to my school do want to meet you…I'm always talking about you, so they're curious…and well, I would like you to meet them too…"

" _She talks about me? I don't know why but that makes me so happy…"_

Before Umi could reply, Eli commented, "Actually Minami-san, our friends have been wanting to meet you too for some time now, even before you and Umi became a couple."

Kotori gasped excitedly at the word 'couple' but quickly composed herself. "Really? Then we must plan something! I'll invite my friends and you invite yours! It'll be so much fun!" The girl clapped excitedly.

"Are you alright with that Umi? " Eli asked, analyzing Umi's expression to see if she really agreed to it or not.

"Of course! I can't wait!"

* * *

"So we're finally going to meet this girlfriend of yours Kotori?" a girl asked nonchalantly as she twirled a strand of her striking red hair with her finger.

The rest of her hair was in perfect waves, falling to her shoulders. Her skin was flawless and she had beautiful purple eyes that were naturally slightly slanted on the edges. She was Maki Nishikino, often referred to as the princess of Koizumi Girl's Academy. The name suited her perfectly. She was a natural beauty, with elegance and poise, intelligence and maturity, with a prestigious family background to match. She tended to distance herself from others, and while people admired her and considered the epitome of perfection they were intimidated by her. She was one Kotori's close friends since middle school where they met when they happened to sit next to each other in class.

"I-I'm a bit nervous…" added the girl sitting next her. "I mean…they're nice right?"

This girl was Hanayo Koizumi, the daughter of the founder of Koizumi Girl's Academy. Like Maki, she came from a wealthy family who had opened many more schools across Japan. The Koizumi Schools were all elite, expensive, and often produced successful people in the work field. She had short brown hair and purple eyes and was very shy and easily frightened. She got good grades and was a sweet welcoming girl. Her voice was soft and people adored her for her kindness and cute looks. She became friends with Maki and Kotori during her final year of middle school when she met them during entrance exams. Somehow, the three of them had hit off really well and kept in touch until they started high school together. Once high school started, the trio quickly became popular at their school because of their parents and their overall person.

Kotori herself completed the trio's prestige by being the daughter of the principal of Koizumi Girl's Academy and by being an aspiring fashion designer that has been featured in multiple magazine articles. Even through her success, Kotori remained humble and hardly ever brought up her accomplishments in conversations. For this reason, Umi remained unaware of Kotori's status or her friends' status. The brunette knew it wouldn't make a difference either way.

"Don't worry Hanayo-chan, I'm sure they're nice! After all, Umi-chan's friend Ayase-san is the one that got us together in the first place! I'm sure their other friends must be nice too!"

"Don't be so naïve, just because those two are nice doesn't mean the other two are," Maki commented, "It's better to be on our guard. I won't trust any of them with you until I see and judge them for myself. You can be way to trusting at times Kotori."

"Do you know anything about them Kotori-chan?" asked Hanayo nervously.

"All I know is that one of them is named Nico and she's the type to keep scores," said Kotori thoughtfully "Oh and I think Eli mentioned that Nico was wanted to be an idol and can be a bit outspoken about it at times."

Maki grimaced. "Great. She sounds obnoxious."

* * *

"FINALLY!" Nico jumped on her seat, slamming her hands on her desk. "It's about time we got to meet your girlfriend Umi! Nico hasn't even given her approval yet." The petite girl gave an exaggerated sniffle.

"Ooooooh! Rin finally gets to eat the famous cakes! I can't wait nya!" The orange haired girl kicked her legs excitedly.

Eli smiled. "I'm sure you'll all get along well with Minami-san. She's a really nice girl, it's her friends I'm a bit concerned about."

Surprised, Umi turned to her best friend, "Her friends? What could be wrong with her friends?"

Nico responded. "You're too trusting Umi. You can't expect a person's friends to be nice just because they're nice." She crossed her arms, "Just don't expect too much ok? Be careful. I'll keep a look out, people can be sneaky sometimes."

"Rin doesn't think they'll be mean…" Her green eyes looked hopeful as she grabbed Umi's hands and leaned towards her. "But if they are, we'll protect you!"

Umi smiled. "You're all overthinking it. I'm sure you'll love her friends, and Minami" The girl winked playfully, "Just remember that Minami is taken!"

Eli rolled her eyes, "Obviously, besides I've told you before, I'm not interested in having a relationship right now."

"Oh my god." Nico gasped dramatically, "You're right. Her friends…they might be single! Time to work the Nico charm!" She threw her hands in the air, sticking her index finger and pinky in the air. "Nico Nico Nii!"

Eli smacked Nico on the head lightly. "If you do that, I guarantee you'll make a bad impression."

"You're just jealous that you're not as cute as Nico" pouted the girl accusingly.

* * *

"Nico nico nii! I'll nico-nico-nii your heart! I'm Nico Yazawa and I'll put a smile in your heart! Remember I'm Nico-ni and I love-nico you!"

And then there was silence.

The entire restaurant had gone still eyeing the standing black haired girl still making her hands in the shape of a heart in front of her chest. As soon as Nico had seen three unfamiliar girls approaching her table, she took her chance to stand up from her chair dramatically to do her usual 'idol introduction'. Eli rubbed her forehead looking exasperated.

"Didn't I tell you not to do that," Eli hissed under her breath to Nico. "Don't make things awkward for Umi."

Nico simply winked in response, completely unfazed by the now awkward situation. "Don't worry Eli, I got this." She whispered back.

Umi rolled her eyes.

All three girls had stopped walking, surprised by Nico's loud introduction. Maki looked offended while Hanayo had flinched at the sudden outburst. Kotori, who had been the leading the two towards Umi and Eli was the first to react.

"U-um. Hello, N-nico-ni, I'm Kotori Minami, it's nice to meet you! I've been wanting to meet Umi-chan's friends for so long," Kotori smiled nervously, "You definitely seem like the aspiring idol Eli said you were…and your little introduction was cute!"

Nico grinned and turned to Umi appreciatively. "Well, she thinks Nico's cute, so naturally I have to approve of her. Good taste, Umi."

Umi sighed, "Please Minami, you can just call her Nico, you don't need to call her 'Nico-ni'."

Kotori smiled at Umi gratefully, "I see, thank you!"

" _K-Kayochin?!_ " Rin interrupted gasping loudly, "Is that _you_?! From Koizumi child daycare…it's me, Rin nya!"

"Rin-chan!" Hanayo's eyes widened and she gaped at the orange haired girl. "Y-you look so different…your clothes…you're wearing a skirt! You're so cute Rin-chan!" cried the shy girl running over to an awaiting Rin to embrace her. "It's been so long!"

"I can't believe it's you nya! I've missed you so much! Uwaaaaaaaa, you've gotten even cuter! What happened to your glasses? Contacts? And you're Umi-chan's girlfriend's friend, and Rin is Umi-chan's friend…its perfect!" Rin excitedly grabbed Hanayo's hand. "It's fate, Kayochin!"

Annoyed, Maki interrupted the reunion and asked, "Can someone _please_ explain to me what just happened? What on earth is going on here? Hanayo?" the red head turned to her friend expectantly.

"I'm a bit confused too, Hanayo-chan," added Kotori, "Do you know her?"

Hanayo nodded her head vigorously. "This is Rin Hoshizora! She was my best friend before I even entered elementary school! She's the one I told you two about! The one I said I wasn't able to get her phone number because we were too young to even think about keeping in contact after we started school! I can't believe I found her! Here of all places! Oh Kotori-chan's girlfriend, thank you so much from bringing Rin-chan!" she grabbed Umi's hands and shook them aggressively, "You did the work that not even my family's school data base could! You truly are capable!"

"I-I…your welcome?" Umi said awkwardly, " _Is this really the same girl that flinched just because Nico surprised her? I guess her shyness disappears when she's passionate about something."_

Rin winked and thrust out her arm towards Kotori and Maki, doing a peace sign with her hands. "Nice to meet you nya!"

"Family's school data base?" questioned Eli, remembering who she was speaking to she added, "Oh I'm Eli Ayase by the way, it's a pleasure to meet you." she nodded at Maki "and you too."

"Ah, please excuse my rudeness," Hanayo bowed at Eli, Umi and Nico, "I'm Hanayo Koizumi, and my family owned the daycare center Rin and I attended when we were little."

"Koizumi…" said Umi thoughtfully, "Wait…isn't the school you go to called Koizumi Girl's Academy?"

Hanayo blushed. "Y-yes, it's one of my family's schools as well…"

"Ooooh! Your last name is Koizumi…that's why all the people at the daycare center let us do whatever we want…" Rin said thoughtfully, "It all makes sense now!"

"You didn't even know Hanayo's last name?" said Maki surprised.

"Well of course not nya! Rin was too little to care about formalities."

"Ahem" Nico cleared her throat loudly, trying to get everyone's attention. When no one responded she repeated her action, only louder this time, "AHEM!"

"What?" said Maki irritably, for some reason this short loud girl was really getting on her nerves.

Nico pointed at the red headed beauty, "You, pretty lady, have not introduced yourself yet."

Maki blushed, embarrassed by her lack of manners, but also annoyed that it had been called out so obviously. By who other than this loud, up and coming idol?

Raising her head up slightly, Maki spoke her introductions. "My name is Maki Nishikino. It's a pleasure to meet you all." She promptly narrowed her purple eyes at Nico in annoyance.

Nico grinned mischievously, "Hmmm, Nishikino huh? So who are you? The daughter of the owners of the Nishikino Hospitals?" the dark pink eyed girl teased.

Maki twirled her hair with her index finger absently.

"Actually, yes."

Nico gaped at the girl's response. Normally, Maki wouldn't like to brag about her family background. In fact, she usually hated whenever it was brought up. But this girl was asking for it, she had been getting on her nerves ever since she first opened her mouth. She had to restrain herself from smirking.

Kotori clapped her hands together cheerfully, feeling the tension between those two. "Well everyone, let's sit down and order some food so we can get to know each other! Thank you Eli and Umi for working with us to allow this to happen." The enthusiastic girl held up a bag, "I brought dessert for all of us!"

Nico and Maki ended up sitting across from each other since Hanayo had wanted to sit next to Rin and both girls seemed to silently agree that new couple, Umi and Kotori, should be seated together. Eli had immediately sat at the end of the table, making her the odd one out of the group. On either side of her was Umi and Rin, so she still felt comfortable since she was surrounded by her friends. Since all of their friends were preoccupied with who they were sitting with, Nico and Maki were forced to talk to each other and be civil.

* * *

Their little lunch ended up being a huge success with even Nico and Maki exchanging phone numbers. Maki was blushing furiously as she handed Nico her cell phone trying to look like she could care less. Nico was confident as always, boldly telling Maki that she would be texting her 'good night' and 'good morning' every day. Maki's blush couldn't have been more obvious. Hanayo clung on to Rin like her life depended on it, and had demanded for every piece of information Rin could give her. In the end, Hanayo had not only written, but memorized Rin's email address, home and cell phone number, address, class schedule, classroom number, daily routine, and everything else Rin had told her about herself. It was fairly obvious that those two would keep in touch from now on.

"I'll walk you home Minami," said Umi stepping beside her.

"Alright then, I'll be heading home now, my sister is supposed to be visiting from school." Eli waved, and turned to leave.

"Oh! Tell Arisa I said hi! Maybe I'll stop by and see her when I get back, I haven't seen her since school started!"

"Sure thing!"

"Hold on! Here, take some cakes, I made extras for everyone to take home." Kotori handed Eli a bag proceeded to give a small bag of cakes to everyone else.

"Thank you! I'll see you all again sometime." With that, Eli left the group.

"Rin-chan! I'll take you home! I'll have my driver pick us up right away! I'll instruct him to memorize your address as well!" Hanayo continued to cling to Rin's arm.

"Yay! Rin doesn't have to walk home nya!"

Nico stepped away from the group of girls, waving like Eli did. "I should be heading home too, I need to cook dinner for my siblings. I can't wait to hang out with all of you again!" She turned and started to walk away.

"W-wait!" stuttered Maki.

Nico stopped walking and turned to face the blushing princess, raising an eyebrow.

"You see…I have a driver too…and I'm going to head home also…I mean we might as well go home at the same time…it just makes sense, I mean…it's not like I _want_ to give you a ride. I'm just concerned for your sibling's dinner being made on time." Maki turned her head away from embarrassment.

"Are you offering me a ride home?"

"Of course she is!" Kotori said, grinning.

"Well, then how could I refuse?" Nico skipped back, stopping beside Maki. "Thank you, Nishikino-san."

"Maki. Call my Maki…" muttered the still blushing red head.

"Hmmmm…ok, then call me Nico!"

"Are you sure you don't want to just a ride home too Minami?" asked Umi, "You would get home a lot faster and wouldn't have to walk."

Kotori shook her head. "No, it's ok. My family doesn't have a driver anyways, we're not rich like Maki and Hanayo's family. Besides, I want to walk with you…it means I get to spend more time with my girlfriend!"

" _I love her so much."_

* * *

Umi and Kotori walked through park together, the sun was setting, leaving the sky with a beautiful array of colors. They walked side by side quietly, Kotori's hand brushed against Umi's. Umi immediately retreated her hand. _"She's too pure, I accidently touched her and it's getting dark! I hope I didn't scare her!"_

"It's really pretty at this time of day, right Umi-chan?"

" _Good, she didn't notice."_

"Yes, I'm glad that I could see this sight with you, Minami."

Kotori blushed. "There isn't anyone around here huh?"

Umi looked around. "You're right, people must want to get home before it's dark. Don't worry, I'll protect you if it gets dark by the time we reach your house." She smiled at her girlfriend.

"Ah, thank you Umi-chan! You know, it's just the two of us…alone…" Kotori glanced at Umi quickly.

" _Oh no! She must have noticed!"_

Umi stopped. "Don't worry Minami! I'm a respectful person. I would never touch a hair on your head until you're grown up, even if we're all alone."

"Eh? Oh…um…t-thank you…"

Umi smiled, proud of herself for making Kotori feel safe as they continued the walk to Kotori's home.

"I'll see you later!" Umi waved as Kotori unlocked her door.

"I'll text you!" the brunette called, opening the door. She took a step in and turned to Umi. "Thank you for walking me home!"

She entered her home and closed the door behind her. Sighing heavily, she leaned against the closed door.

" _Oh Umi-chan…"_

* * *

Eli entered her apartment, sighing tiredly. She wasn't used socializing for long periods of time and meeting so many new people was exhausting. Kotori's friends seemed nice enough, and she was happy that even Rin and Nico seemed to make friends with them as well.

"I'm home."

"Onee-chan!" A cheerful young girl came running towards her hugging her tightly.

Eli patted her head affectionately, "It's good to see you Arisa, how's school? How long will you be staying?"

"School is the same as always. As it turns out my friend Yukiho, actually lives around the area, so maybe you'll meet her during our break. We have two weeks off!"

Arisa was Eli's sister, younger than her by two years making her thirteen years old and a second year in middle school. She attended a boarding school a few hours away by train so she only visited home whenever she had more than a couple days off. Like Eli, she had blue eyes, although her eyes wasn't as bright a blue, instead paler and softer. She had incredibly light brown hair that she wore loose with a single flower clip that pinned her hair to the side, allowing her entire face to show. She had worn the same hair clip every day for two years for it held a special place in heart.

"What's this" Arisa grabbed the bag Eli was carrying, "Oh cake!"

The younger Ayase ran to the kitchen to get a fork, Eli followed, happy to see her sister again. Placing the bag of cakes on the kitchen table she sat down as she watched Arisa take her first bite of cake.

"Harasho! Which store is this from? I think it's my new favorite!"

Eli chuckled. "They aren't from any store. These are homemade."

Arisa gasped. "Did you make them Onee-chan?"

"Nope. Umi's girlfriend, Minami-san made them. She's very talented. Cute too."

Clank!

Arisa dropped her fork, and it landed on the tile floor loudly. She stared at her older sister, with her mouth slightly open in shock. Her eyes were wide, and if you looked carefully enough, you could see a hint of tears forming.

"U-Umi's…Umi-san's…g-girlfriend?" she dared to ask.

Eli nodded slowly. "Yes…her name is Kotori Minami…are you alright Arisa?"

"It can't be! Umi-san isn't popular with girls!" cried the thirteen year old, curling her hands into fists and banging the table loudly.

Eli frowned. "Arisa, don't speak like that about Umi. You know she's-"

"She's supposed to marry me someday!"

Eli stopped, not finishing her previous sentence. She paused to take in her sister's statement. "Wait, _what_?!"

"I thought I had no competition…I thought I had time…I haven't fully developed yet! I just needed a few more years…a few more years and I'd be beautiful like Onee-chan!"

"Arisa! You can't mean…you like UMI?"

Arisa inhaled sharply, biting her lip. She looked away and said nothing. Eli stared at her sister in amazement, trying to figure out when her feelings for her best friend started. Then it hit her.

"Could it…could it have been the hair clip…? Of course it is…the hair clip, how could I not have noticed before? You never wore hair accessories before then…"

Arisa slowly took the clip off and examined it in her hands. "Umi-san gave this to me two years ago…"

Eli nodded, "I know. I remember you mentioning it…but Arisa…Umi is happy now…she and Minami-san make a great couple…"

Silence. Arisa continued to play with her hair clip. Eli worriedly watched her.

"Arisa? Are you ok? How about we go out to dinner, just the two us? We can spend some time together, and talk this out..."

Finally, Arisa looked up from her hands determinedly, ignoring her older sister completely. "I know! I know what I must do now! I can't just accept this! Umi's too trusting!"

" _How on earth did it come to this?"_

* * *

 **And that's Chapter 6!**

 **I hope you liked it!**

 **Please review, and as always I will update as soon as I can.**

 **Also, in other news, I'm in the process of posting a new story, I'm just working out the general outline of it, so I'm not sure when that'll be done, but all I can say is that it will feature a different pairing. I hope you all can check that out too when it's posted.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	7. With Arisa

Chapter 7: With Arisa

 ***Flashback* - 2 years ago**

"Arisa? What are you doing here? It's too late for you to be out, it's been dark for a few hours now."

Umi had stopped walking at the sight of the young eleven year old sitting alone on a street bench. She was on her way to the convenience store to buy some snacks. For Umi, it wasn't dangerous to be out at any time since she was skilled at kendo and stronger than any possible attacker. Eli's little sister on the other hand, was short for her age and not very good with physical activity. Arisa sat with her head down, her loose hair falling over her face, covering her falling tears. Although Umi couldn't see the girl crying, she had heard her sobs as she approached her.

Arisa sniffled. "I don't want to go home…then I'll have to leave tomorrow…and live away from home…away from Onee-chan…"

Umi sat down next to her friend's younger sister, leaning towards her.

"But didn't you want to go to this school? You worked so hard to pass the entrance exams, you even got accepted into the honors program! We're all so proud of you."

Arisa turned her head away. "But I don't want to go anymore…what if…what if people don't like me? I don't look like most people…I look foreign…and I'm not that pretty foreign type like Onee-chan…"

Umi smiled and stood up. "Come with me, Arisa."

The older girl extended her hand reassuringly. Arisa looked up tearfully, but accepted it as Umi helped her off the bench. Still holding Arisa's hand, Umi took her to the convenience store with her, the only place that was open at this time.

Arisa covered her face with her hair, not wanting people to see her crying. Umi said nothing as she lead her to the small part of the store that sold miscellaneous items, such as nail polish and accessories. Picking up a green flower hair clip, Umi covered it with her hands before turning to Arisa.

"Here." Umi took a piece of Arisa's hair, fastening the clip into place. "You have such a pretty face, you have to let all those new people see it. You being kind, _and_ beautiful," Umi fake swooned "Nobody will be able to dislike you."

Arisa's eyes widened as she gazed at Umi, blushing at her comment. Finally she smiled, her eyes brightening as she ran to a mirror to look at her reflection with the hair clip on. Umi left to talk to cashier, gesturing towards Arisa as she paid for the hair clip. The young blue eyed girl continued to examine her reflection as Umi approached again.

"Now, let's get you home so you can sleep. After all, tomorrow begins your adventure!"

Taking one last glance at the mirror, Arisa touched the gift delicately, feeling the warmth it had stolen from Umi's hands.

"Harasho…"

 ***End Flashback ***

* * *

 _Back to the present._

Eli stared at her sister after she finished telling her story.

" _Oh Umi, you were only trying to be nice…but you seriously need to watch yourself…"_ Eli couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance that her best friend had, although unintentionally, flirted with her little sister.

"So, what are you going to do? I told before, she's happy with Minami-san. They're happy, I'm happy for them, you can't just try to ruin that."

Arisa frowned at her sister. "Who said I would do such a thing?"

"You did just say a minute ago that you couldn't 'just accept it'."

"That's because I can't." Arisa fastened the flower clip back into her hair. "I need to make sure her girlfriend isn't a two-faced liar. Umi deserves only the best you know."

Eli sighed in relief. "Oh, well if it's just that, don't worry. Nico, Rin, and I have already met her and judged her for ourselves. She's a wonderful girl, perfect for Umi."

Arisa shook her head. "That isn't enough. No offense Onee-chan, but I think I have more experience at reading people than you do."

Eli raised her eyebrow. "And what makes you say that?"

Arisa shrugged. "I'm just good at reading people."

The older girl rolled her eyes. "I'm telling you, I've never seen two people so genuinely in love. Seriously."

*Knock knock*

The two girls turned to the door.

" _That must be Umi…she said she might stop by."_

"I'll get it," Eli stood up to open the door. "That's probably Umi right now. I told her that you were coming home today."

Eli opened the door to find her best friend standing there, just as she had predicted.

"Umi-san!" Arisa suddenly appeared next to Eli, excited to see Umi.

"Arisa! Long time to see! How have you been?" Umi gave the girl a brief a hug as she entered the apartment.

"I've been ok! Although…Eli told me some very interesting news just now."

"News?" confused, Umi turned to Eli questioningly.

"Yeah, she told me you have girlfriend now!"

Umi blushed deeply, being a very conservative person, she was easily embarrassed.

"Y-yes, her name is Kotori Minami."

"Can I meet her?"

Umi smiled widely, "Of course! I was just about to tell Eli that Minami texted me to invite us to the park again after school tomorrow. You can meet us there Arisa!"

Arisa jumped up and down excitedly. "Yay! I can't wait!"

Umi patted her head affectionately, "Well then, I'll see you tomorrow. Eli will text you when we get off school so you know when to head over."

"Can't wait!"

* * *

Arisa walked towards the park, catching the attention of everyone she passed. Over the past two years of living away from home she had grown more confident in appearance. In her eyes, it was thanks to Umi, who had served as her role model by being oblivious and uncaring about what other thought about her. Umi had been right, everyone at school liked her and respected her. Even now, walking through her hometown's streets she gained looks of admiration. She was only thirteen, so she knew she still had time before she would even begin to look like the beauty her older sister was. At least, she hoped she would. Today, Arisa wore a pair of dark sunglasses, hoping to hide her face since she arrived at the park long before Eli had even sent her the text that they were leaving the school. She wanted to be the first to arrive, to see Umi's girlfriend for herself before their so called 'happiness' could cloud her judgement. She was determined to analyze every word that came out this new girl's mouth, her expressions, her tone, everything. It seemed impossible that such a perfect girl would come to like Umi. Not that Arisa thought ill of the blue haired girl, it's just that she knew Umi was dreadfully unpopular when it came girls. She stood in the shadows of a large tree, trying to hide behind the trunk as she carefully watched every girl that wore a school uniform.

" _Is that her? No…she looks too timid, Umi would definitely scare someone like that away. Oh what about her? She's kind of cute…oh wait, I think that's her boyfriend…OH that girl is cute! The Koizumi Girl's Academy uniform looks so good on her! It's as if it was tailored especially for her! She's definitely got style…"_

"Minami!" Arisa turned her head sharply towards the familiar voice.

"Umi-chan!" came a new squeaky voice, coming from the direction Arisa has previously been watching.

" _No, it can't be…"_

The hidden girl gasped as the girl wearing the Koizumi Girl's Academy ran towards Umi and Eli who had just come into view.

" _Umi got someone that cute?!"_

Arisa couldn't help but admire how happy Umi looked with her girlfriend. She could practically see the happiness radiate from the couple.

" _Well, here I go."_

"Umi-san! Onee-chan!" Arisa waved at the trio as she approached.

"Arisa! Minami, this is Arisa Ayase, Eli's younger sister that I told you about." Umi gestured towards to the younger girl as she reached them.

Arisa's heart skipped a beat. _"She talked about me?"_

Kotori bowed, "It's nice to meet you, Ayase-san."

Arisa held up a hand and smiled, "Please, call me Arisa, Ayase-san is Onee-chan." She winked at her older sister.

Eli simply rolled her eyes in response.

"Ok! You can call me Kotori then!"

"Well then Kotori, I have to ask." Arisa skipped to Kotori's side, placing one delicate hand on her shoulder. "What about Umi attracted you? What is your favorite thing about Umi?"

Both Kotori and Umi blushed deeply at the question. Eli shot a warning look to her sister. After a moment of thinking Kotori looked incredibly distressed.

"W-w-well…I don't…I can't decide!" Kotori shook her head aggressively. "I love everything about her!"

" _I love her so much."_ Thought Umi, blushing an ever deeper red.

" _That answer was vague, too vague..."_ Arisa mentally noted Kotori's response.

Kotori lifted up her bag, "Shall we eat at our usual spot then? I'm sure the bench is long enough for Arisa too!"

* * *

The group of four sat on the usual park bench, enjoying Kotori's heart shaped cookies. Arisa couldn't help but enjoy them, she had to admit, they were better than any other baked good she could ever hope to make. As they ate, Arisa conversed happily with Kotori, getting along well with her. Eli noted this as good progress, and hoped that this interaction would be enough for Arisa to approve and move on.

"So, if you want any relationship advice, I'm here for you! I have plenty of experience with relationships." Boasted the youngest girl present.

Eli shot her look that clearly said, " _You better be lying_."

Kotori, gullible as ever, replied "Oh! That's great! Thank you!"

Satisfied, Arisa turned to Umi, "Now Umi-san's turn to be harrassed."

"Eh?!"

"I just have a simple question." Arisa continued. "What is _your_ favorite thing about Kotori?"

Kotori blushed and eagerly leaned over slightly towards Umi as she excitedly waited for her response.

"Hmmm…I like everything about her…but…if I had to choose, I'd say it would be how innocent and pure she is. It is a unique and wonderful quality of hers. "

The reaction was immediate. Kotori's eager face was replaced by different, sad look. The brunette turned her head to floor, facing away from the group. In a few seconds, Kotori had composed herself and was cheerful again, although not quite as much as before. Arisa had not failed to notice the quick lapse of composure. She was sure to make note of it.

The passed the time pleasantly, and before long it was dark with dark sky littered with glistening stars. Eli and Arisa took their leave first, walking towards their apartment, while Umi walked through the park with Kotori.

"See? I told you she was a good girl."

Arisa frowned. "No. She's hiding something. There's something she's not saying."

"People don't need to spill their biggest secrets to everyone you know."

"Obviously. But this secret…it affects Umi. I know it."

Eli's narrowed, "And what makes you say that?"

"Her reactions to Umi saying that she was 'pure and innocent'. My guess is there's something Umi doesn't know about her. Something major that Kotori is lying about."

Eli frowned. "What do you think that is? I still find it hard to believe."

The light blue eyed girl sighed. "I don't know. It could be anything. She might be two-timing, stealing, or doing something that would really tarnish Umi's image of her. In any case, it's obviously something bad, at least that much is obvious. There was clear _guilt_ in her eyes, I saw it."

Eli stayed silent. She didn't want to believe it, not after she had gone out of her way to bring those two together. The last thing she wanted was to see Umi hurt and betrayed, and if Arisa was right, then it was inevitable.

"She said she liked Umi since the moment she saw her." Eli finally said.

Arisa turned sharply, "Well that's even more suspicious!"

"Why?"

"Because, even though Umi is actually really pretty, most people wouldn't see that at first glance. The first thing they see is that awful glare of hers…although, I personally adore that look…I think it makes Umi look rather dashing…" Arisa's words trailed off as she got lost in thought.

Eli grimaced, not too fond of her sister's feelings for her best friend.

"Well, Minami-san isn't like most people. I have faith in her."

* * *

Umi walked Kotori home, enjoying the silence of the night. It was peaceful and the weather was perfect, not too cold, but refreshing. As they approached Kotori's home, the girl suddenly stopped.

"Umi-chan…"

"Yes, Minami?"

Kotori fidgeted in her place, head facing the cement floor.

"Um…you see…"

Umi felt her heart clench. There was something wrong. She knew it.

"The truth is…"

Umi braced herself.

"Nevermind, its nothing! Good night Umi-chan! Thanks for walking me home!" Kotori lifted her head and smiled. "I'll go inside now, be safe on the way home!"

With that, Kotori ran to her front door, opening it and disappearing inside. Umi stood in her place for a moment longer. She blinked in confusion.

" _Am I…am I being dense again?"_

* * *

Arisa walked away from her apartment, wanting to get some fresh air. Eli had entered her room, saying that she was tired and was going to go read a little bit before bed. Arisa on the other hand, had tried to relax in her room but couldn't. She decided to go buy some juice from the convenience store, she wanted something refreshing to clear her mind.

Upon entering she came across some girls whispering frantically. She eyed them suspiciously as more girls scurried away from a specific section of the store. Curious, she decided to see what they were so frightened of, as she turned the corner to enter the magazine section of the store she understood.

"Umi-san?"

Umi looked up from the magazine she was reading so intently, with her face morphed into that of intense concentration. Her eyes look positively fierce, which is most likely the reason all the girls had fled. At the sight of Arisa her expression softened, although still looked a bit stressed.

"Arisa! Hey, what are you doing out? I thought you and Eli went home."

"We did, but then I decided to stop by and buy something to drink. What are you doing here? In this section of all places…reading _that_." The light haired girl gestured towards the magazine Umi was holding.

The magazine in question was bright pink, littered with the most girly designs and fonts that could ever be printed. It clearly targeted teen girls, and Arisa was familiar the title, knowing full well that it even came with additional quizzes inside to help girls determine whether or not their crush was interested. It wasn't a magazine that Umi would ever pick up on a regular basis.

The older girl sighed deeply, putting the magazine back in its original place.

"I'm trying to understand girls better…to understand Minami better."

Arisa's eyes widened, "And why's that? Is something the matter?"

"No…well, yes…I'm not sure actually…Minami won't tell me. She tried to today when I dropped her off, but in the end she shrugged it off and didn't tell me."

" _Kotori was going to come clean…"_ thought the younger girl.

"Maybe…maybe it's something she can't tell her girlfriend…like…if she found someone else."

Umi looked away.

"I thought about it…and…if that's the case…then all I want is for her to be happy. As long as she's happy, I will be too." Umi threw up her hands in frustration, "But I can't help her if I'm so dense! If she won't tell me, then I need to learn to understand her better."

Arisa gasped looking at Umi in surprise. _"Umi-san…_ you're _so pure…"_

"I'll talk to her."

Umi blinked. "You will?"

"I will," Arisa smiled, "It might be easier to talk to me…I think we hit it off well today, and she agreed to come to me for advice."

"Arisa…thank you! You're the best! It's so hard to believe you're younger than us sometimes."

The younger girl held up her fists to her chest. "I'll do my best!"

* * *

Arisa stood in front of the school gates of Shuei High School. Boys and girls had crowded by the windows of their high school to get a look of the pretty girl standing impatiently outside. Curious, Eli walked towards the window to see what her class was whispering about.

"That girl is so cute!"

"Do you think she's younger than us?"

"Maybe she just looks that way."

"She's obviously a foreigner. Like Ayase-san!"

"She's so little, I wonder if she'd be easy to take advantage of?"

"Oh! You're right! Younger girls like having someone older, don't they?"

"Oh, it's my little sister, what's she doing here?"

All the onlookers gasped and turned to Eli who was standing next to them, watching her sister down below. She turned to glare at all the commenters, gesturing towards her best friend who was gloomily reading shoujo manga at her desk, serving as a warning for them to back off. They scurried away. Eli sighed, she knew the only reason why they scrambled was because she was friends with Umi, who was a powerful asset of intimidation.

Somehow, Arisa caught sight of Eli. She jumped up and down excitedly, gesturing towards her phone. Eli pulled hers out to read the text her sister had sent.

 _Come with me. Don't tell Umi-san._

Eli turned away from the window and walked past Umi who was currently being hounded by Nico with manga recommendations. She had told Nico about her objective to learn about how girl's think.

"Read this one! It's full of girl problems! And this one, it's about idols! OH and don't forget this one! It made Nico cry after every chapter!"

"Thank you Nico!"

"I'm going to go home early," Eli said walking towards the door.

"Ok! I'll see you later then." Replied Umi absently as she scanned the pages of the current manga she was reading.

* * *

Eli found herself standing by the school gates of Koizumi Girl's Academy as the school bell rang to end classes. Arisa stood next to her, determined as she scanned the girls exiting the building in search of Kotori. Seeing her walk out from the school gates, Arisa called out.

"Kotori!"

The brunette turned to them as her face mingled with surprise and confusion. She approached them, as she looked around for her girlfriend.

"Arisa! Ayase-san! Hello! Where's Umi-chan?"

"Umi-san isn't here."

Eli stayed quiet. She stood behind Arisa, deciding that she let her little sister handle everything.

"Oh."

"I need to ask you something, without Umi-san being present."

The worry was clearly etched on Kotori's face, but she agreed and followed the pair to the park, where she usually met with Umi and Eli.

"Look…I'm going to be clear with you Kotori, because I like you as a person. You're hiding something from Umi-san aren't you?" Arisa said, her tone as serious as can be.

"Huh?" Kotori looked slightly surprised, she had looked nervous ever since she had been approached by the two.

"Umi-san's noticed, and she's worried about you because she doesn't know what's wrong. You can tell me! I just want Umi-san to be happy! No…I need her to happy! So please tell me!"

Eli watched her sister from behind quietly, she know at this point, Arisa truly meant well.

"Of course…Umi-chan's such a good person…unlike me…I'm not the good person Umi-chan thinks I am!" Kotori's eyes filled with tears.

Eli's eyes widened. _"No…"_

"What do you mean?!" cried the blond girl, finally speaking up, horrified at what she had just heard.

Kotori turned away from the two, leaving her back to them.

"Umi-chan…has nice skin."

" _What?"_ thought Eli _"What kind of response is that?"_

Arisa nodded in agreement, "Umi-san has wonderful skin. She takes care of it very well."

"And her intense eyes and eyebrows really get to me…"

"I know! They're so wild!"

"And her slender body and muscles…"

"They're so feminine yet, strong huh?!"

Eli could already see where this was going. She watched the fangirling exchange in silence, feeling her anxiety quickly slip away. It was replaced by a feeling of 'this is the stupidest thing to be concerned about'.

"And her lips are so sexy! They make my heart race!"

Arisa was getting excited now, "I know! They look like a model's lips!"

Kotori sobbed into her hands. "But Umi-chan won't lay a finger on me until I grow up!"

"Yeah! Wait…huh?" Arisa paused, confused at what she just heard.

" _I can't believe I was actually worried."_ Thought Eli.

"She thinks that I'm this ultimate pure girl…that I don't want any of that…but…I'm not! I really want to hold hands, and cuddle, and be closer to Umi-chan! But I can't tell her that! I can't tell her that when I'm with her…I want to do that kind of stuff! She'll back off…she won't like me anymore! I can't let that happen, I like Umi-chan too much!" Kotori continued to sob as she turned the face the sisters who stared at her.

" _I thought so…I should have never doubted Minami-san. You're more pure than you think you are."_

" _This…this is what she's hiding? Just thinking that she was impure for wanting little things like that…I think that makes Kotori even more pure!"_

"Don't think of Umi-san as such a fragile person!" cried Arisa suddenly, shaking her head furiously.

"Eh?" The crying girl sniffled.

"Umi-san is stronger than that, she wouldn't leave you for something like that! Even if you were cheating on her, all she would want is for you to be happy! That's the kind of person Umi-san is! She told me that all she wants is for you to be happy…for you to smile. She wants to help, but she can't do that if you don't tell her what you want! Tell her! She wants to make you happy, she would never leave you!"

Kotori gasped.

Arisa smiled. "Go. Go tell her how you feel. I promise, it will turn out ok. You and Umi were meant for each other."

Kotori could feel her confidence grow with Arisa's words.

"I…I'll go right now!" The girl turned and started to run in the direction of their apartment. "Thank you Arisa! You really are a good person."

After a few moments, the determined girl had disappeared from their view.

Once Kotori was out of sight, Eli spoke up. "Why didn't you ever tell Umi about your feelings?"

Arisa's face fell. "I thought she would never like me because I'm younger than her…and I look more childish than people my age."

"Age difference? Appearance? Didn't you just say that Umi isn't such a fragile person?"

"I did, didn't I? I wonder…if I had told Umi, would she care that much about me?"

"She would."

Tears welled up in Arisa's eyes. "Yes…she would."

"She still does. Just, in a different way."

Arisa began to sob. Eli wrapped her arms around her little sister tightly.

"It's good to let it all out, Arisa. You've kept these feelings bottled up for too long."

"Umi-san's girlfriend…is a nice girl…a really nice girl." Her voice was muffled by Eli's school blazer.

Eli smiled. "Yes, she is."

* * *

"Minami?" Umi had just arrived at her apartment to find Kotori standing in front of the building waiting for her.

Kotori turned to look at Umi, her tear stained face becoming clear.

"Minami…were you crying? Are you ok? What's wrong?" Umi frantically asked, "I know something has been bothering you…please, you can tell me anything! All I want to do it help, I promise!"

Her girlfriend took a deep a breath, "I want to hold hands!"

Umi blinked, _"Eh?"_

"I want to hold your hand! I want to cuddle with you, and feel your arms wrapped around me, I want…I want to be closer to you!" Kotori put her down, "I'm sorry I'm not the pure girl that you think I am…"

" _I love her so much."_ Thought Umi as she prepared her response carefully.

In the end, Umi simply reached for Kotori's hand, covering it with two hands. Kotori's eyes widened as Umi stepped into the place beside her, pulling one hand away from her, but squeezing her hand with the other.

"Of course, Minami. I would love to be closer to you." Umi blushed. "I'll walk you home, we'll walk together like this, with our hands connecting our hearts."

At her words, Kotori's blush grew a deeper shade of pink as she smiled, her dried tears glistening in the sun.

"Umi-chan…there's something else…something else that I need to tell you."

Umi smiled gently. "Please do, I'll be happy to hear it."

"I lied to you. The day I came to your house after you saved me…I lied."

Umi tilted her head in confusion, "About what?"

"I didn't ask around the train station for you…I recognized your school uniform so I went to your school and asked around for you, until somebody told me where you lived…and then…then I left my phone at your apartment…on purpose, because I wanted to have an opportunity to see you again…and then!" Kotori reached into her school bag with her free hand, "Then I did this to your towel!"

Umi's eyes widened. She remembered that towel, she had given it Kotori when she had run back to get her phone number. She had thought nothing of it at the time, because she was rooting for her to be with Eli. She recognized her initial embroidered in the corner. But it was different now.

Next to her initials 'U.S' was an embroidered '+ K.M' with a large heart enveloping the two initials. Umi felt her heart soar with overwhelming emotions at the sight of it.

"I went home and did this as soon as you gave it to me. I'm sorry for being creepy…and not being the pure girl you thought I was."

Umi released Kotori's hand. The girl gasped at the loss of contact and looked at Umi fearfully. But the fear was quickly erased as Umi wrapped her arms around her, enveloping her body with her warmth.

"Thank you, Minami." Umi whispered in her ear. "Thank you for liking me."

Kotori closed her eyes and relished her contact with her girlfriend.

"No, thank you for liking me, Umi-chan"

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, as always I will update as soon as I can.**

 **Thank you to all those you have reviewed, followed, favorited, and read the story so far. It really means a lot, and I really enjoy reading the reviews!**

 **As always, I will update as soon as possible!**

 **In other news,**

 **Please check out my new story, "Don't Tell Maki" it features the pairing NicoMaki and I really am excited about it so I hope you can check that story out as well.**

 **Thank you!**


	8. Love Rival!

**School has been super busy lately so I apologize for the delay! Hopefully things will clear up soon! Please enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Love Rival!**

Arisa burst through the door, slamming it shut.

"It's a disaster!"

Eli poked her head outside her room.

"Arisa, don't slam the door like that, you'll disturb the neighbors."

Arisa stomped over to her sister, an obvious pout on her face.

"But it's a disaster! A catastrophe! My life is ruined!"

Eli raised an eyebrow. "I think you're being a bit over dramatic." The elder girl sighed. "I hope this isn't about Umi."

"No! Well, sort of…"

"Come in my room, we'll talk about it." Eli stepped away from her doorway to let her sister in.

Arisa threw herself on Eli's bed, lying flat on her stomach with a pillow covering her face. She said something, but it wasn't understandable with her voice muffled. She continued to rant into the pillow while Eli watched debating on when was the right time to interrupt.

"Arisa?"

"Yes?" Arisa turned her head away from the pillow. Finally, her voice was clear again.

"Mind telling me what's wrong? Preferably in a way I can actually understand you."

"Yukiho found out I like Umi-san."

" _Yukiho, who's Yukiho?"_ thought Eli, trying to figure out who Arisa was talking about.

"Yukiho's my friend from school." Elaborated the distressed girl. "And she's on her way over here right now to see Umi for herself."

"Oh! Wait, how's that a bad thing? So what if she sees Umi? She's your friend right? It's not like she's going to tell her anything."

"She…she confessed to me."

Eli's eyes narrowed. "She what."

"Don't give me that look! It's not my fault! And you don't need to baby me anymore, people can confess to me if they like."

"Ah, you're right…" Eli blushed, embarrassed for overreacting. Clearing her throat she spoke again. "Well why is she coming over here then?"

"To 'scope out the competition'," Arisa grimaced, "She called Umi-san her 'love rival'."

"Oh dear."

"I know."

"How does she know where Umi lives though?"

"Well, she knows my address because I gave it to her and she's knows Umi-san is my next door neighbor so she put two and two together."

"Why did you tell her that Umi was our neighbor then?"

"I didn't know what she was going to do! She confessed to me right after I finished telling her!"

"That's…unfortunate."

Arisa sat up on the bed and crossed her arms.

"We have to get Umi-san out of the apartment before Yukiho comes."

* * *

 **Meanwhile~**

*Knock knock*

*Knock knock*

Umi opened the door a few moments after the first knock sounded. She was surprised to find a young girl she did not recognize at her door.

"Yes? Hello."

"Hi! Is Arisa Ayase home?"

The young girl had red brown hair that contrasted with her bright blue eyes, making them stand out from her face. Her hair was short, with longer layers closer to her face and bangs covering her forehead. She was smiling mischievously, with her hands behind her back, and rocking back and forth. Judging by her baby face, Umi could only assume that this girl was a classmate of Arisa's.

"You have the wrong door, you're just one off though, Arisa lives right next door." Umi smiled and gestured to the door to her right.

"Oh my bad! I could have sworn it was this one, sorry to disturb you," the blue eyed girl tilted her head slightly, "You couldn't be Sonoda-san could you?"

Taken aback, Umi stuttered, "Y-yes, that would be me!"

The smile of the girl widened, "Oh Sonoda-san! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Uh, likewise? Who are you and how do you know me?"

"I'm Yukiho Kousaka." She smiled, "I've heard all about you from my friend Arisa! We go to school together."

"Oh! Well thank you for being kind to her." Umi bowed deeply, "Arisa is like a sister to me, so when you are kind to her, it means so much to me."

"Like a sister?" Yukiho tilted her head to the side again, "So…like family?"

"Yes, of course."

Yukiho's eyes lit up considerably. "That's wonderful!"

Umi nodded, "I'm sure Arisa must be excited to see you outside of school. You wouldn't want to keep her waiting." She moved to begin closing the door slowly.

"Wait!" Yukiho stuck her arm out to stop the closing door.

Umi stopped. "Yes?"

"Do you mind if I come in for a little while? Forgive me for being so rude."

The blue haired girl blinked in surprise. "Oh, of course. Come on in." Umi stepped aside to let the younger girl through. "Forgive me for not inviting you in, I just assumed you were going to see Arisa."

"It's ok!" Yukihio skipped past Umi energetically, "I am going to visit her, but I'm a bit early so I don't think she's ready yet and I wouldn't want to rush her or anything."

"Ah, I see. I was about to make some tea, would you like some?"

"Yes please!"

Umi set the two steaming cups of tea down on the table. Umi may be a failure when it comes to cooking, but she was skilled enough to at least make some decent tea. She left for a moment and returned with a plate of cookies, courtesy of her girlfriend, Kotori.

"Thank you so much!"

"You're very welcome." Umi took the seat across from Yukiho, "Please, help yourself to some cookies, my girlfriend made them. They are absolutely delicious, I can guarantee that."

"Girlfriend?" Yukiho tilted her head to the side, "Thank you! Don't mind if I do!" She reached for a cookie and took a big bite, gasping after she did. "D-Delicious!"

Umi grinned proudly, "I told you!"

"Your girlfriend is very talented! She should come work at our sweet shop!"

"Your family owns a sweet shop?"

"Yup! My sister and my parents are pretty much the ones who run it now since I go to school far away."

"I see. How old is your sister?"

"She's a first year in high school."

"Oh! Just like Eli and me!"

Yukiho nodded. "That makes Arisa and I even more alike, we both have sisters in the same year!"

Umi smiled, "That's right! You two must be really good friends."

Yukiho's smiled faltered slightly, if Umi hadn't been paying attention she wouldn't have noticed. "Yes, we are!"

Yukiho reached into her bag and pulled out five strips of paper. "I actually wanted to ask you something, Sonoda-san."

Umi raised an eyebrow and nodded, signaling Yukiho to continue.

"I actually have these tickets to a nearby amusement park…I wanted to invite Arisa and her sister but I actually two extra besides those tickets…so I thought maybe you would like to come? You can bring your girlfriend too! It'll make Arisa's sister more comfortable too, and I really want her to come too so that she could get to know me better and see that I'm good for Arisa…"

" _Ah, she seeks Eli's approval? She must really care about Arisa. What a good friend."_

"Of course! I'll ask Minami to come too then, she's really good friends with Eli too."

Yukiho's gave a wide smile. "Really? Thanks!"

*Knock Knock*

" _Who could that be?"_

Umi opened the door to find Eli and Arisa. "Oh, hello! Are you looking for Kousaka-san?"

"K-K-Kousaka-san?!" squeaked Arisa.

"Yo!" Yukiho waved from where she sat as Umi stepped aside to allow the two sisters to see her.

Umi laughed. "Yes, she came here on accident looking for your apartment. Since she came early she asked to stay here for a while so she wouldn't rush you getting ready." Turning to Eli she added, "She's very considerate."

Eli hummed in agreement. "It's nice to meet Kousaka-san. Arisa has told me _all_ about you." Her eyes narrowed slightly.

Yukiho visibly gulped, realizing exactly what Eli was talking about. She jumped out of her seat and rushed over to where the girls were standing by the door. She bowed to Eli.

"It's very nice to meet you Ayase-san."

Umi spoke up, "Kousaka-san was kind enough to invite us all to an amusement park, isn't that wonderful?"

"A-all of us?" said Arisa nervously.

Yukiho nodded. "Sonoda-san is going to bring her girlfriend too, so it should be fun! Please join us!"

"Alright…Onee-chan?" Arisa looked up at the older girl expectantly.

Eli smiled. "Of course I'll come with you."

"Yay! It's settled! So shall we go tomorrow then? Tomorrow is Saturday and Arisa and I have to take the train back on Sunday evening to go to school."

"Sounds good to me! I'll ask Minami to make sure."

The Ayase sisters hummed in agreement.

* * *

"How did you even get to the apartment building before I did?" whispered Arisa to Yukiho as they walked behind the trio of Eli, Umi, and Kotori. "I ran straight back home."

They were just arriving at the amusement park after taking a short train ride. The ride was actually quite fun. Once Arisa realized Yukiho hadn't told Umi anything about her feelings for her she was able to relax. She always had fun with Yukiho. She was funny, sweet, energetic and smart. Yukiho had quickly become friends with Kotori as well and even Eli seemed to be warming up to her. The young girl couldn't be happier. Even so, Arisa couldn't shake the feeling of nervousness completely.

"I took a cab."

Arisa smacked her forehead lightly. _"Of course"_

"So, next question. What are planning?"

Yukiho turned to Arisa innocently, "What do you mean?"

"Why did you invite Umi-san and Kotori? What are you trying to do? I know you were planning on inviting Eli, you told me that much back at school. But those two? What are you planning?"

Yukiho crossed her arms. "I'm not really planning anything. I just had two extra tickets and Sonoda-san seemed like a very nice person. Even if she is my love rival, I can see that she cares about you a lot and that makes me happy. Especially because she sees you as a family member, it makes her the ideal love rival. _And_ she already has a girlfriend." Yukiho looked at Arisa seriously. "I want to get along with her for your sake. She's important to you, therefore she'll be important to me."

"Yukiho…" Arisa blushed.

"Besides, maybe it'll be a good time for you to confess. The amusement park can be quite romantic at times you know."

"W-WHAT?"

The three older girls walking ahead of them turned around at Arisa's raised voice. The light haired girl gave a small wink and a thumbs up to reassure them. Eli frowned, but turned back around after a moment and continued her conversation with her friends. Arisa sighed in relief and turned to her friend once more.

"Are you crazy? I'm not going to confess!" she hissed.

"Why not? I think it'll be good to get it out of your system…you know, so you can move on…" Yukiho looked away as she spoke the last few words softly.

Her last words did not go unheard. Arisa blushed and sighed heavily.

"I've already gotten it out of my system. I told Onee-chan about it and cried about it. I already feel a lot better. I'm honestly very happy for Umi-san and Kotori. They're perfect together."

"But you're still not over her?"

"Well no…I still like her, I think it's going to be a while before my feelings for her completely go away."

"Which is why confessing to her is a good idea. It'll completely get it out of your system and allow you to move on."

"So you want me to humiliate myself and get rejected?"

"No! I would never want that! I just don't want to see you hurting anymore!"

"I'm not hurting. Trust me, I'm perfectly fine. You just want me to get over Umi-san so that I might go out with you."

Yukiho flinched at her words. Arisa could be very blunt at times, it was one of the qualities that originally attracted her to the blue eyed girl.

"That's…half true I suppose…" Yukiho sighed deeply, "I'm sorry…I've been selfish."

"It's ok, I actually understand where you're coming from." Arisa patted her shoulder reassuringly, "Just please don't push it ok? You are a very dear friend to me…I don't want to lose you."

"You won't. I promise." Yukiho said seriously as they approached the trio who had stopped so that they could wait for the two of them to catch up.

* * *

The day turned out to incredibly fun. Everyone with the exception of Eli had laughed and yelled so much their voices were turning hoarse. Eli was much too composed to scream on any of the roller coasters why Umi had screamed at the top of her lungs and clung to Kotori who seemed extremely pleased at the contact. Kotori had screamed to, but it was nothing in comparison to the blue haired girl who had real tears streaming from eyes during each ride. At first, Kotori was concerned and offered Umi to go on a much gentler ride, but the girl had refused. She had made it her mission to conquer her fear of what she called 'A silly game'. The rest of the girls had just rolled their eyes at her and laughed at all her reactions to every turn and drop of each ride. By lunchtime, Umi looked positively exhausted but was happy to have some of Kotori's baking to cheer her up. Eli had been watchful of Yukiho's behavior of her sister, and was pleased that she was being respectful towards her. Their conversations were never ending and there wasn't a single awkward moment within the group. Arisa had even grabbed Yukiho's arm during the haunted maze tour, insisting it was because she was startled. While what she said was obviously true, Yukiho still couldn't keep a grin off her face. Umi was escorted out of the haunted maze early on for attacking one of the workers that had jumped out in front of Kotori in an effort to scare her. In the end, only Eli, Arisa, and Yukiho actually went through the entire thing since Kotori had opted to wait outside with Umi. By that time, the sun was starting to set and people were beginning to gather to see the amusement park's signature ending parade. It was supposed to be romantic and a special sight to see with your significant other.

"We should go find a spot before all the good ones are taken," suggested Yukiho as she and two Ayase's approached the happy couple sitting on a bench outside the maze.

"That's a good idea. I don't like working my way through crowds."

"Onee-chan hates people," said Arisa giggling.

"That's…a bit of an exaggerated version of how I feel in crowds."

Umi waved happily at the three girls. "Hey! Let's go save a seat! Minami-san says she heard the parade is amazing!"

"We were just talking about it too Umi-san!" Arisa looked excited, "I can't wait for it to start!"

They managed to find a good spot towards the entrance of the park which would make it easier to leave once the parade was finished and everyone would begin to head out as well. There was actually a table and seats around it where they could sit, but Umi had gone and asked an employee if it was alright to stand on the tables themselves to which they consented. Umi picked Kotori up to place her on the table to which Kotori squeaked and blushed happily. She offered to do the same for Eli who outright refused and climbed up on her own. Seeing her love rival's strength, Yukiho attempted to do the same with Arisa but was hardly able to lift her at all. Arisa laughed at her efforts and teased her while Eli glared at the scene but was unnoticed. Umi offered to lift Arisa too, but Yukiho quickly declined for her, not wanting to be outdone by Umi even further. In the end, the five girls were standing on two tables, Yukiho and Arisa on one, and the trio on the other.

"It's starting!" Arisa pointed at the performers approaching their direction.

"Ah! The costumes are so cute!" Kotori had her arms wrapped around one of Umi's as she tugged on her girlfriend's arm excitedly.

"Their technique is remarkable." Umi admired the athletic ability of the dancers.

"Their stamina is impressive." Eli added.

"Their smiling so genuinely too, it makes me want to smile." Yukiho sighed happily as she stole a glance at the girl standing next to her.

Umi turned to Kotori. "Thank you for sharing this moment with me, Minami."

"Of course!"

Yukiho leaned to whisper in Arisa's ear. "Thank _you_ for sharing this moment with me."

Arisa felt her face heat up as she murmured an inaudible response back. She turned to look at her sister to make sure she didn't see Yukiho whisper. Eli stared at her, and after a moment of eye contact, she smiled warmly and gave a quick nod before returning her attention to the parade.

" _Is that…Eli's approval?"_

* * *

The night ended with the sisters returning to the apartment chatting excitedly about the highlights of their day. Yukiho excused herself hallway there to head towards her own home which was in another direction. Umi offered to walk her home since it was already dark, but Yukiho declined, saying her house wasn't too far anyways. The blue haired girl then left with Kotori to walk her home, for her that wasn't an option, she was determined to always walk her girlfriend whenever she could to protect her. Eli couldn't help but smile at Arisa's excitement over the day's events. While she wasn't too fond of Yukiho's forwardness towards her little sister, she was happy that Arisa really had a friend who cared deeply about her. She smirked at the thought of Arisa looking flustered at Yukiho's actions. She had to admit, seeing Arisa blush was quite amusing.

"So, where does Kousaka-san stand now?"

Arisa sighed, suddenly looking a bit stressed. "I don't know."

Eli patted her head, "You don't need to decide now. It's your choice, although I must comment on how happy you looked with her."

"I know, but I don't think it's fair to her that I still have some feelings for Umi-san."

"Still?"

Arisa nodded.

Eli hesitated before continuing. "Arisa, are you ever envious of Minami-san?"

"No! I really am happy for them! Seriously!"

"Does it hurt you to see her and Umi together?"

"No, not at all. I have this comforting feeling, it's just that their so perfect for each other."

"Do you still think about being Umi's girlfriend?"

Arisa shook her head. "No, not anymore. I honestly can't see her with anyone besides Kotori."

Eli smiled. "Then I think, you might be over Umi sooner than you even know."

Silence.

"You're right, Onee-chan…I never realized."

"But that doesn't mean you have rush on over to liking someone! Feelings like those should not be thrown around aimlessly."

"I know. That's why I'm going to wait a while before I respond to Yukiho. While I might say yes now, I want to make sure it isn't just because I just got over Umi or because she's confessed to me. I want to like her for who she is, not just for what she's done or what I'm going through."

Eli pulled her sister to a tight hug.

"I'm so proud of you. You have my support in whatever you decide."

* * *

"Wait up! Kousaka-san!"

Yukiho turned around confused. She was pulling her luggage towards the train when she heard a voice calling her. Her eyes widened at the sight of Umi running towards her with her hands waving excitedly. Close behind was Kotori who looked equally as excited.

"Sonoda-san? Minami-san? What are you doing here?"

"We just wanted to see off before you went back to school! And give you this," Kotori handed her a bag. "I baked you a pound cake as a thank you for inviting us yesterday."

"Oh! Thank you so much!"

"Come visit us again when you're in town ok? Next time we'll invite you somewhere," said Umi giving Yukiho a thumbs up.

The younger girl's eyes widened. _"You really are the best love rival ever."_

"Th-thank you." Yukiho bowed. "It was a pleasure meeting you both," lifting her head back up she added "And please, call me Yukiho. Next time I'll take you to my family's sweet shop, I'm sure you'll love it."

"Sure thing!"

Yukiho turned around again and waved, "I'll see you during our next break. I have to catch my train now, bye!"

"Bye Yukiho!" chorused Umi and Kotori, giggling as they heard their unison of voices.

Yukiho plopped down on the train seat tiredly. She had fun. Umi turned out to be a wonderful person, and she could see why Arisa had fallen to her. Thinking of Arisa, she wondered if she had taken the same train as her. Just as she was about to go look for her, Arisa appeared and sat next her.

"Yukiho! I was hoping we were on the same train!"

"Me too! I was just about to go look for you."

"So are ready to go back to school? Our little break was fun wasn't it? Although I personally think two weeks isn't enough."

"I agree. I didn't even have a chance to introduce to _my_ sister."

"Oh that's right! Next time for sure! Is she scary?"

Yukiho laughed "Not at all, she's actually very friendly and cheerful. I'm sure you'll get along well with her."

Arisa leaned back against her seat and closed her eyes to prepare herself for the long train ride.

"Can't wait!"

* * *

 **A BIG thank you to all of those who have stuck with me this far!**

 **Please review, I say this a lot, but I really love reading reviews!**

 **Also, please check out my other fanfic "Don't Tell Maki", it is ongoing and features NicoMaki as the main pairing.**

 **Thank you!**


	9. Competition

**Hello! I am SO sorry for this late update! I can't believe it's been over two months! School got crazy and then finals came and it's just been so busy. To make matters worse, since it had been a long time since I worked on the story I kind of forgot how to write? I'm not sure if that makes sense but I had to go back and read all the chapters over again to get the hang of it, and even so I had a lot of difficulty putting this chapter together. I think I've gotten the hang of it again, so the next update should be a lot sooner. Anyways, there will be more comments at the end of the chapter, for now please enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Competition**

"Ugh! I hate sports festivals!" Nico groaned, "They're not cute at all and they make me look bad!"

The small group of friends sat eating lunch after obtaining more details about an upcoming sports festival. Umi didn't really pay attention though, since the class representative had been talking about the sports festival nonstop for the past week. Umi and Rin had been assigned to two events which was the maximum a person could participate in. Eli had also been persuaded to participate in two as well. Umi and Rin were participating in the events that counted for the most points since they were the best athletes in the class. Both of the teams Umi was in had already started practicing and seemed to be doing very well. No one had asked Nico to join any teams since she was terribly slow at running and didn't seem to have much strength or stamina either. Out of the entire class, Nico was a part of a small group of girls who were not participating in any event because of their extreme lack of skill.

"That's your fault for never trying to be fit," scolded Umi. "Besides, I don't know why you're worried about it, it's not like you're being asked to participate in it."

"Yeah! Who would ask someone as slow and as weak as Nico-chan nya!"

"Hey!" Nico scoffed, "If it were a dance competition, I would beat all you easily! I'm fit enough to dance."

"Weren't you guys paying attention to what the class representative was saying earlier? One of Umi's teammates was injured this morning so they're looking for a replacement." Interrupted Eli with her usual calm voice.

"What?! Really? Which team?"

"The relay team. You should really pay more attention to your surroundings, Umi."

"Well, shouldn't there have been more of a commotion about it? I mean the relay event is worth the most amount of points."

"I know, that's why the class representative was talking about holding some sort of raffle between the few who aren't participating in any events as soon as possible in hopes of them getting as much training as they can before the festival. It looks like Nico might have to participate after all."

Nico visibly paled.

"This is a disaster nya!"

"D-Don't underestimate the good fortune of the great Nico nii…" Nico smiled nervously, "Just watch, I won't be chosen no matter what!"

* * *

"Ehehehehe…I guess there's no helping it…"

An orange haired girl held a popsicle stick with the end covered in black permanent marker. She scratched her head nervously, knowing full well that this whole event wasn't going to go well.

A group of girls around her sighed in relief as they disposed of their unmarked popsicle sticks. Among them, Nico grinned triumphantly as she skipped away to text her friends about her good fortune.

"Alright, looks like Honoka Kousaka will be replacing the injured member of the relay race team." The class representative handed Honoka the participation form for the upcoming sports festival. "Please do your best, we all know you aren't…the _best_ runner."

"Sorry…" mumbled the girl, looking defeated.

The male class representative turned around while gesturing Honoka to follow him. "Come with me, I'll introduce you to the rest of the team. They're actually practicing out on the track right now. Good thing we put Sonoda-san on that team, with her running, there's no way we can lose!"

"Eeeeeeh? Is she that good?"

"Of course!" the young man's eyes glimmered with excitement, "Sonoda-san is like no other when it comes to sports! She's much tougher than all the other girls or guys at this school. The only other girl that can compete with her in some sports is Hoshizora-san, but we've already signed her up for two other events and that's the most a person can participate in."

"Ehehehe…right…" The bright blue eyed girl pouted, _"Let's hope Sonoda-san isn't as scary as they say she is…It's amazing I've never noticed her before, especially since we're in the same class. I guess I really am distracted… "_

"Kousaka-san?"

"Y-yes?"

"Please pay attention when people speak to you. Don't be a burden to Sonoda-san."

"Of course!"

Honoka grimaced. _"I'm doomed."_

"Oi! Sonoda-san! Here's the replacement runner!"

Umi stopped running, turning to face the two arrivals. Brushing her sweaty bangs away from her face she waved and began to jog over to them.

"Hello! I'm Umi Sonoda, it's nice to meet you. It'll be a pleasure working with you." Umi flinched as some of her sweat dripped into her eyes. She furrowed her eyebrows in annoyance as she wiped her eyes aggressively.

Honoka gasped. _"Oh no…she's unhappy to see me! I knew it! She's probably annoyed she has to deal with such a slow runner…uwaaaaa I hope she can forgive me and not put some sort of spell on me like people say she does!"_

"I-I'm Honoka Kousaka…it's nice to meet you…I'll try my best!"

"Of course, that is the only thing we can do, try our best." Umi suddenly looked even more serious than before. "After all, our class's honor is at stake! Everyone's counting on us!"

"Well said Sonoda-san!" The class representative clapped enthusiastically, "I need to head back to find a replacing member for the other team our injured member was in. I'll leave you two to it then."

With that the young man turned to walk back towards the school building, probably going to ruin somebody else's day by forcing them to join an event they cannot adequately perform.

" _I think she's taking this too far…"_ thought Honoka, " _But of course I can't say that…"_

"Ehehehehe…right…"

Umi looked away towards the other members of the team who were continuing their practice.

"Hey everyone! This is our new member, Kousaka-san!"

Honoka sighed as she watched Umi jog towards the other members to bring them over to her.

" _Well…Sonoda-san doesn't seem too bad…she's nice enough I guess. I think I'll be ok as long I don't get on her bad side. But once she sees how slow I run, I know she'll be furious with me…and who knows what she'll do then!"_

"EHHHH? Kousaka-san? But you have one of the worst times for the 100 meter run!" the second member of team exclaimed. Honoka recognized her as the one of the fastest runners in her gym class.

" _Don't remind me…"_ thought Honoka nervously glancing at Umi to see her reaction.

"Well, might as well see what you can do." The third member of the team said looking a bit defeated as well. "I'm the team leader by the way, please do your best."

"I'll try…" Honoka wished with her entire being that she could just go and join her friends at the café they were meeting at instead of being here.

As soon as she started running she could just feel the disappointment from the other members as they watched her miserable attempt to run fast.

"Thank goodness we have Sonoda! She'll be fast enough to make up for the lost time that Kousaka will bring!"

Honoka grimaced.

"I think we'll call it a day for now though. We'll practice more tomorrow since the rest of the team is tired from today." Umi smiled at Honoka, trying to look reassuring while knowing full well that she was failing miserably. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I do have somewhere I need to be right now. It was nice meeting you, I'll see you tomorrow."

" _She must be mad…She hates me. I'm doomed."_ Thought Honoka as she watched Umi leave the track.

* * *

"A sports festival? You never told me your school was having a sports festival soon!" Kotori pouted at her girlfriend playfully for the lack of information. "No wonder you've been busy after school."

"Ah yes, I'm sorry I guess I just forgot to mention it." Umi scratched her head sheepishly. "It's probably because it really isn't that big of a deal to me. It's just a friendly competition."

"This is coming from the person who's been talking about defending the class's honor." Remarked Eli, smirking as she turned to Kotori, "You should hear her, just because the class representative said the entire class was counting on her, Umi's been taking this whole event seriously. She's determined to win to make the class happy."

"Oh wow Umi-chan! That's so admirable!"

"Well it's only natural to want to make everyone happy isn't it? I mean everyone's been talking about how we actually have a chance to win and beat the upperclassman so I don't want to let anyone down. The teams I'm in are pretty strong, so at least we have a chance of winning. Plus, another two teams have Rin participating and she's definitely a star athlete. Even Eli agreed to participate in events, and she's good at sports too, even if she doesn't like them too much. But in the end it doesn't mean too much to me as long as everyone has fun and tries their best."

"Oh Umi-chan you're so cool! I'm such a slow runner so I'm never relied on to do things like this. I can't help but admire you even more!" Kotori turned her head away from Umi and spoke more quietly "I bet you're going to have so many admirers after this…even more than before…" Looking back at Umi she spoke again, "But I won't lose! Even if you have an army of admirers I'll fight for you Umi-chan!"

Eli raised her eyebrows while Umi frowned, confused.

"Huh? Even more than before? I've never had any admirers before, Minami. And I highly doubt I'll have any after this. After all, it's not like I've never participated in a sports festival before. I always get dragged into them."

"Wait, really? Aren't you really popular? Don't people confess to you on a regular basis?"

"No, not at all. No one's ever had any interest in me."

" _Well, you're wrong about that."_ Thought Eli thinking about her sister.

"EH?! How's that even possible Umi-chan?!"

"I'm serious, Eli is the one that's popular. Actually I'm pretty sure you, Rin, Nico and Eli are the only ones that actually think I'm cool."

"What? I can't believe it…thank goodness…" Kotori paused, "Oh no! I don't mean it in a bad way, I'm sure you would prefer it if you had a lot of girls that liked you! I just…am a little relieved I can have you all to myself…"

Umi smiled warmly, "Don't worry about it, as long as you like me I'm happy, Minami. You're the only one that matters."

Kotori blushed deeply, and smiled back, "Thanks Umi-chan!"

Umi felt her face heat up at the sight of her girlfriend blushing. _"I love her so much…I want to tell her…I want to tell her how cute she is but I'm embarrassed. I'm too embarrassed to tell her. But I know it'll make her happy. I have to tell her one day. One day, I'll be able to tell her. I have to try!"_

Eli's voice broke Umi away from her thoughts. "So how's the new member of your relay team coming along? Nico texted me saying that she wasn't chosen."

"She seems ok, but seeing as she wasn't participating in any events before this, I don't think sports is really her thing. She seemed nervous too."

"That's probably because you were glaring at her." After seeing Umi's look Eli added, "Of course an unintentional glare. But still glaring."

"Oh, did you have to get a new member?" asked Kotori.

Umi nodded, "Yes, one of the members on my relay team was injured so they randomly chose someone who wasn't participating in anything to join."

"Poor girl, I wouldn't want to be chosen if I were her." Kotori's face looked sympathetic. "I know how it feels to be slow. Is the girl chosen as the replacement really slow?"

"I guess she is when you compare her to the rest of the team, but it looked like she was really trying. To be honest, I don't think I ever really noticed she was in our class. I just met her earlier today when the class rep introduced us. Maybe she'll improve by the time we actually have to compete."

"Oh I see! Then I'll be rooting for her too then!"

"I'm sure that would make her happy."

* * *

"I think I need to be more prepared to fight for Umi-chan." Kotori sighed

"What makes you say that?" Maki played with her food. She never really ate much during lunch at school, claiming that eating on such a small desk at school made her lose her appetite.

"Well, she's going to be participating in a sports festival at her school and by the looks of it, she's the star athlete that everyone's counting on…I'm sure girls are going to chasing after her if she wins. And there's so no way she'd lose!"

Maki frowned. "But even so, Sonoda-san doesn't seem like the type to go for that kind of admiration. She seems incredibly loyal."

"Maybe you should…I don't know claim your territory?" chimed in Hanayo.

Both Maki and Kotori looked at her in surprise.

"What do you mean Hanayo-chan?" Kotori's eyes widened with interest.

"I mean, most couples have matching pendants or _something_ right? You and Sonoda-san don't have any of that do you?"

"You're right! I can't believe I never thought about that before!"

"That's so cheesy." The red head twirled her hair with her finger. "I still don't think it's necessary."

"It wouldn't hurt though, would it?"

"It's a great idea! I'll make it myself! That way it'll be even more special! What should I make?"

"Something that makes it obvious that Sonoda-san has a girlfriend and is taken." Hanayo furrowed her brows in concentration. "Maybe like a half heart? And you can have the other half."

Maki rolled her eyes. "That is so cliché. I'm even getting second hand embarrassment."

"I like it!" Kotori clapped her hands excitedly, "I'll sew little half heart cushions then!"

"Make sure it has a strap though! So Sonoda-san can attach it somewhere like her cell phone or school bag."

"If you're going to make it a cell phone strap make sure it isn't too big, otherwise it wouldn't be able to fit in her pocket."

"You're both right! Alright then, that is what I'll do! I'll buy the fabric after school then, can you two come with me? I feel like I'll have trouble deciding."

"Don't you have a lot of fabric at home? I mean I'm sure you have plenty of leftover fabric from your last designs."

"I can't just use leftover fabric or any fabric that's lying around! It's for Umi-chan, it has to be specially picked for this occasion."

"I agree completely," Hanayo nodded her head furiously, "We'll help you pick out the right fabric at the store, right Maki-chan?"

Maki sighed, her practical self really didn't see the point of all this but knew she couldn't convince her friends otherwise. "Of course, let's stop by a coffee shop and have a proper meal first though. It'll be my treat."

Hanayo giggled. "It's your fault you're always hungry after school. I don't mind either way, as long as there's rice!"

"Ehehee, I guess a coffee shop won't be good enough then Maki-chan." Kotori giggled.

"Alright alright, we'll go to a restaurant that serves rice."

"Yay! Rice!"

* * *

"Practice is cancelled?"

"Yes, Kousaka-san has a stomach ache and the rest of the team decided that since she's the one that really needed this extra practice, we would take the day off as well."

"Ahh I see, thanks for letting me know."

" _Well, I guess I have the day off, too bad Eli has practice otherwise we could have walked home together."_

Umi walked towards the school cafeteria to buy a snack before heading home. As she entered she heard a familiar voice.

"Uwaaaaaaa! This bread is so good! It tastes like it just got out of the oven! I could eat ten of these…no twenty!"

Honoka Kousaka sat at a table by herself near the cook as she brought her a tray of buns.

"Eat as much as you want Honoka dear, I made way too much and we're not allowed to keep them for tomorrow."

"Thank you! You're the best!"

" _Oh it looks like her stomach feels better. I'm glad."_

Honka giggled happily as she bit into another bread, her eyes glistening excitedly.

"Delicious! I've lost track of how many I've eat-" Honoka's eyes widened with surprise as she saw Umi approaching her. "-en"

The orange haired girl coughed violently. _"This is bad, maybe if I pretend like I'm dying she'll have mercy on me!"_

"I can't- I can't breathe!" wheezed Honoka dramatically.

"Kousaka-san!" Umi rushed over to Honoka, "Are you alright? Deep breaths, I'll call an ambulance!"

"EHH?" The girl stopped coughing aggressively, reducing her coughs to light casual ones. "I-I'm fine…just choked on a piece of bread that's all." Honoka could feel her heart pound with nerves.

"Are you sure?" Umi frowned but decided not to press it. "If you say so, but please don't feel shy. You have to take care of yourself you know."

"Ehehehe…yeah I know…" The blue eyed girl looked around awkwardly, "What are you still doing at school Sonoda-san?"

"Well, I thought I'd grab something to eat before heading home since practice was cancelled." Umi tilted her head curiously, gesturing towards the bread in Honoka's hand. "Speaking of, how is your stomach feeling? I'm glad it seems like you're feeling better."

"Oh umm, yes! I'm feeling better…but I really did have stomach ache! Honestly! I was eating bread because bread is gentle on the stomach that's all!"

Umi laughed. "I believe you. You don't need to get so defensive. Like I said, it's good to take care of yourself. If you didn't feel well it's ok that you weren't pushing yourself to extremes."

Honoka sighed and looked down. "I'm sorry I'm such a burden to you all…"

The blue hair girl blinked. "Huh?"

"I know I'm a disappointment to the team…its obvious everyone wishes I wasn't running. I mean, I wasn't even _supposed_ to be running in the first place. It was just an unfortunate accident. And now the class is probably going to lose after being excited about winning. I'm letting everyone down."

"You can't help being slow."

Honoka looked up, surprised. "Eh?"

Umi smiled warmly, and Honoka felt her heart skip a beat as she watched Umi. "Not everyone is made to be good at doing the same thing. If it were so, the world would be a very boring place, don't you think?"

The disheartened first year felt a blush creep to her cheeks. "T-Thank you…"

Umi turned around to start heading home but paused briefly. "One more thing. You aren't a burden. As I said before, it's not your fault, we'll just have to try our best won't we?"

With that Umi began to walk away, and before Honoka could think about what she was doing she was on her feet, "Wait!"

Umi stopped. "Yes?"

"Are you…are you free right now?"

"I am actually, why?"

"Would you help me train? Right now? I know practice is cancelled so the track should be empty. I would feel better practicing with just you before trying with everyone else."

" _What am I saying? But…it's true…since when have I become so comfortable around Sonoda-san? It's like…she isn't scary anymore…she is so kind and honest. How can people judge so wrongly?"_

"Of course. As long as you're actually feeling better."

"I am!"

"Then let's get to it shall we?"

"Thank you! And tomorrow morning? Of course not, that would be too much trouble won't it…"

"Not at all, getting up early is no trouble."

"Really? Thank you! I'll bring you some sweets from my family's shop!"

Umi gave Honoka a thumbs up, "Looking forward to it, now let's head over to the track!"

* * *

"What are you doing at school so early?" Eli stood on the other side of the gated track, with Umi on the track watching Honoka run laps.

"We're training of course! Kousaka-san wanted to get some extra practice in."

"Kousaka-san?" Eli frowned in concentration. "Where's the rest of team?"

"She wanted to practice with just me for a bit before adding everyone else."

"Oh really? Why is that?"

Umi shrugged. "She's just nervous. The other team members were judging her too harshly I guess."

"Alright. Are you practicing today after school too?"

"Yes, that will be with the whole team."

"I see. Did you receive the text from Minami-san? She says she wants to meet today, even if you do have practice."

"Oh really? I left my phone in my locker so I haven't checked."

"Ok, just answer her as soon as you get the chance, it isn't polite to keep her waiting."

"Of course! We're done training for the morning anyways. I'll see you back at the classroom."

Umi called to Honoka and jogged towards her. Eli watched as Honoka talked excitedly with Umi who nodded politely to her words. They walked towards the locker room together as if they had been friends for years.

Eli frowned again as she walked towards the school entrance. _"Kousaka-san? Where have I heard that name before…ah yes of course, Yukiho Kousaka. I wonder if they're related. It's certainly possible. I believe Arisa did mention that Yukiho had a sister our age, maybe that's her."_

* * *

"Oh wow! Your time went down Kousaka-san! I'm impressed!" The rest of the relay team began to high five each other and hug the sweaty orange haired girl. "It's only been about a day too! Maybe you weren't trying harder earlier."

"Maybe…I guess I just got a bit inspired that's all." Replied Honoka, sneaking a glance at Umi who was wiping her neck with a paper towel and gathering her things to leave.

"If you keep this up, we'll win for sure! Even if you're still slower than probably all the other runners competing, Sonoda-san will be able to make up for it. Just try to keep improving so you don't over work her."

"Of course!"

Walking over to Umi, Honoka grinned at the blue haired girl. "My time improved! It's all thanks to you Sonoda-san!"

"You're the one who did all the hard work, I only yelled at you to keep running." Umi chuckled, "But thank you. If you keep it up you might find yourself a better runner than you thought you were."

"Do you really think so?"

"Well, you can do anything you set your mind to. At least that's what I believe." Umi frowned suddenly. "Kousaka-san, do you know what time it is?"

"It's 4:00 p.m why?"

"I have somewhere I need to be at 4:30. Well then, I'll see you tomorrow. Get some rest, you don't want to overwork yourself."

The serious first year walked away briskly towards the locker rooms to change. At this rate she might have to jog to meet her girlfriend in time.

" _Oh well, as long as I don't keep Minami waiting. I wonder why she's set on meeting today?"_

Honoka decided to follow her. Today, she had a plan she absolutely had to follow through with.

After Umi exited the school, completely redressed in her school uniform, Honoka started to get nervous as she played with a package she held in her hand. She smiled as she looked down at it. Last night, after training with Umi she had decided to buy her a towel since she had seen the girl only use paper towels to wipe her sweat away. She had stopped by and bought a light blue one from a small shop on the way home from school. Once home, she decided to sew Umi's initials in the corner to personalize it a little more.

" _Thank you Kotori-chan! For teaching me how to sew even when I didn't feel like learning!"_

Umi seemed to pick up the pace after a while and Honoka struggle to keep up while staying hidden. Finally, as Umi neared the park Honoka called out to her.

"Sonoda-san!"

* * *

"Umi says she might be little late because of practice."

"That's ok! I just want to give her something."

Eli raised an eyebrow. "Since you're being a bit more eager than usual, I'm assuming it's not just sweets?"

Kotori smiled. "Yes, I want to give her this!" she held out the completed cell phone strap. "It's a half heart! I made it myself yesterday, and I have a matching one!"

Eli grinned. "That's so cute! Umi will love it! Especially because you made it." Eli paused, then decided to add, "Plus, I think it's good that Umi has something that clearly displays she has a girlfriend. I think that will help prevent people from getting the wrong idea that she's single."

The ash brown haired girl gasped. "Is someone going after Umi-chan?"

"I don't know…maybe." Eli looked at Kotori reassuringly. "But you have nothing to worry about. Umi only cares about you. She won't be swayed by anyone, I can promise you that."

Kotori giggled nervously, "Ehehehe…you're right…I don't know why I'm always so worried…I just can't help it. I don't want to lose Umi-chan!" Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh! I almost forgot! I made these for you and Arisa. They're matching too! They're just not half hearts."

For the Ayase siblings, Kotori had decided to make a cell phone strap in the shape of a daisy. She wasn't originally going to make them one, but decided to when she had trouble deciding between two fabrics at the story. Exasperated, Maki had suggested she buy both and use one to make Eli and her sister something as well since Kotori had spoken highly of the two them. Hanayo agreed, saying it would make giving Umi's strap a little less awkward.

"Oh! Thank you, they're very cute. I must say, your stitching is impeccable. It looks professionally made." Eli examined the straps. "Not a single flaw! You have a lot of talent for sewing, do you do it often?"

"Actually I do, I love sewing."

From a distance, the pair could hear a voice call out. "Sonoda-san!"

"Sonoda-san? Oh could that be Umi?"

"Let's go meet her at the park entrance!" Kotori skipped towards the entrance, excited to give Umi her newest creation.

Eli grimaced, but followed her anyways. _"Why do I feel so uneasy about this?"_

The two girl approached just in time to see a girl approach Umi excitedly, waving her arms as she neared. Umi failed to notice Kotori and Eli as she focused her attention to the orange haired girl running towards her. Kotori gasped and pulled Eli towards her to hide behind a tree. Eli looked at her in surprise, but followed her lead, now feeling _really_ uneasy about the situation.

"Honoka-chan…" whispered Kotori to herself, watching her converse with Umi.

"You know Kousaka-san?" Eli whispered back. "I don't think we should be hiding Minami-san…"

"I know…but I can't help it…I just want to see what Honoka-chan is saying to Umi."

"Probably something about the relay team."

"Eh? She's on the relay team? But as far as I know, she isn't really that good at sports."

"Kousaka-san was the replacement runner."

Kotori's eyes widened. "She's the girl Umi-chan's been helping?"

"Yes, Umi told you about her?"

"She did, but she never mentioned her name…"

"Let's go talk to them." said Eli firmly, "It's ridiculous to be hiding. We should just speak to them directly."

As they were about to call out to Umi, Honoka held out a towel to Umi.

"I-I-I got you a towel Sonoda-san! As a thank you…for helping me."

Umi accepted it, with a large smile on her face. "How cute! Thank you! You picked a lovely color. I have been needing a new towel." She scratched her head sheepishly. "I'm sure you've been noticing me use only paper towels. I've just been so forgetful about buying a new one." Holding up the towel Umi laughed, "And you sewed my initials on! Thank you! It's just like my old one. I'll be sure to take good care of it."

Kotori had stopped walking and watched the exchange, only hearing what Umi had to say. Eli couldn't help but pause her walking also. She watched Kotori grip the cell phone strap meant for Umi more tightly.

"I'll be leaving now, I know you're busy. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Sure thing!"

Still smiling, Umi turned towards the park again, surprised to see Kotori and Eli standing close by, directly in front of her.

"Oh were you two here long? I'm sorry, I was a bit held up. You weren't waiting for too long were you?"

Kotori stared at the towel in Umi's hand. Eli answered first.

"Not at all, we were only here for a few minutes before we heard someone call you and decided to see if you had arrived."

"Ah yes, she can be a bit loud." Umi looked at Kotori worriedly, "Are you alright, Minami?"

Kotori blinked and shook her quickly, "Yes, I'm fine! Sorry, I was bit distracted." She held out the cell phone strap, "This is for you Umi-chan! I have a matching one!"

Umi felt her face burn as she took the half heart strap in her hands. "It's wonderful, Minami! Thank you! This is probably the best gift I've ever been given." She immediately grabbed her phone from her bag and began tying the strap on. "I can't wait to show it off!"

Kotori smiled brightly, her eyes dancing with excitement. "I'm so glad you like it!"

"I told you she would." Eli took a step away from the couple, "You had…you _have_ nothing to worry about. I'll be heading home now, I'm assuming Umi will walk you home. Thanks again for the straps Minami-san, I'm sure Arisa will love it too."

The blond girl left hoping that Kotori wouldn't worry too much about Honoka's gift to Umi.

" _It could mean something…but then it couldn't as well…I'm not sure yet. I feel like we'll know for sure after the sports festival. Either way…Umi loves Minami-san. That will never change. Minami-san is sensible enough to not take things out of context too…I just feel sorry for Kousaka-san."_

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter! This is the longest one yet!**

 **Again I apologize for the delay, life and school have just been insane. I'll definitely try to update sooner this time.**

 **For those you asking, Nozomi will be introduced! Just not for a few more chapters!**

 **Thank you to all of you have followed/favorited/read this story! It makes me so happy to see that you enjoy it!**

 **Keep a lookout for a mini Christmas fanfic that I plan to upload. Hopefully I'll be able to finish it in time, but we'll see!**

 **As always, please review!**


	10. New Friends

**As always, I apologize for the long wait! It's been a bit crazy with school work and now I'm working on a team engineering project, but even so I'll be trying to update as much as possible. More notes at the end!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: New Friends**

Eli wiped the sweat off her brow as she finished her event and walked towards Umi, Rin, and Nico. They were sitting on the floor chatting excitedly about the sports festival. The blond beauty was grateful the day of the sports festival had final arrived, she was tired of having to attend practice after school. She grimaced as she heard girls screaming loudly as she walked by. Umi grinned at her and waved as she approached.

"Good job! You got first place!" said Umi, giving her a thumbs up.

"At this rate, our class actually has a chance of winning!" Nico clapped happily. "Then I can brag to Maki about it later."

Eli raised an eyebrow as she took a seat next Umi. "Maki Nishikino? Minami-san's friend?"

"Of course, who else would I be talking about? We don't know any other people named Maki."

"True. More importantly though, why would you be bragging if you didn't participate in the sports festival at all?"

"Well, I still was the cutest cheerleader ever."

Eli rolled eyes. "Of course Nico, we couldn't do it without you."

Umi laughed. "Now that's the spirit."

Rin jumped up excitedly. "But we really have a chance nya! As long as our class wins the relay, victory is ours!"

"Yeah Umi, it's all up to you." added Nico.

"It's a _team_ effort. I'll do my best either way though."

"How's Kousaka doing by the way?"

"She's still slower than average but her time has definitely improved."

"It must have, I mean she's been practicing a lot hasn't she?"

"Yes she has, her dedication admirable." Umi stood up. "Speaking of which, it looks like the relay is going to start soon. I'm going to make sure the team is ready."

"Alright, good luck."

"You better win!"

"Go Umi nya!"

* * *

"Kousaka-san! How are you feeling? Are you ready?" Umi smiled at Honoka who was silently staring at the floor.

"I feel like I'm going to be sick. For real this time."

Umi's eyes widened. "Oh no! I'll call the nurse and we'll-"

"No!" Honoka looked up and smiled at Umi nervously. "I'm fine, I'm just nervous. After all, I can't let our hard work go to waste!"

"Alright then. I'm going to go my starting position. Good luck!"

"Thanks." Honoka walked over to her own starting position. _"This is it. I can't let Sonoda-san down. If we win…if we win I'll confess…"_

The crowd began to cheer as an announcer began introducing the start of the event and its members. After the short introduction finished, Honoka waited for the whistle to blow to signal the start of the race. She felt her heart clench as the whistle blow and it pounded against her chest as she anxiously waited for her turn for the baton to be passed to her. She watched her teammate approach her, their arm extended towards her, and roughly thrusting the baton into her hands. She frantically turned and began her race, pushing her legs onward, as fast as she could make them run. Her eyes widened in horror as she watched people begin to pass her, regardless of the head start her teammates had given her. She felt her face pale as she closed her eyes and ran as fast as she could possibly run.

"Kousaka-san!" Honoka looked up. Umi was waiting for her with a fierce expression. Those eyes that everyone feared glimmered with determination and trust.

" _She's…she's still counting on me…"_

She felt her body numb as she strained its limits, picking up the pace she didn't know could get faster.

"Sonoda-san!" Honoka cried as the gap between her and Umi lessened. Suddenly, she felt something collide her foot, losing her momentum. Her knees fell to ground with a loud thump and she looked in horror at the large rock that her foot had tripped over. Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched the last racers that were behind her pass her with pitying glance her way.

"Kousaka-san!" Honoka's teary eyes met Umi's fierce glowing ones. Umi's position hadn't changed since Honoka's fall. She held out her hand towards her, expectantly waiting for the baton to be passed to her.

" _Eh? But it's over…there's no way we can win now…"_

"Kousaka-san!" With every shout of her name Umi gave, Honoka's hope was revived.

" _She's still counting on me!"_

"Sonoda-saaaaaaaan!" Honoka forced herself up, too focused to wince from the pain. She threw herself towards Umi, finally closing the gap between them completely.

Umi grasped the baton firmly as Honoka passed it to her. In an instant, she was gone, running at full speed towards the finish line, passing the other runners along the way. Honoka had slumped back to the floor panting heavily as she watched Umi in awe. Her speed was unrivaled, the other runners never stood a chance, regardless of how much of a head start Honoka had given them. Her cheeks flushed, not from her overexertion, but from her admiration of the blue haired athlete. She felt a strong presence watching her and she turned to see the class beauty, Eli Ayase, watching her intently. Her blue eyes watched her for moment longer, then brushing her golden hair away from her face, Eli walked away towards the finish line. Honoka blinked. The gaze was intense, as if her classmate had been looking for something.

" _It must be a mistake, I've never even interacted with Ayase-san…although she is friends with Sonoda-san…"_

Honoka's body cooled as the adrenaline from the race faded. She tried to stand up, but collapsed to the floor again as a pain shot through her legs. She winced as she examined her swollen ankle tenderly.

"Oh dear. Are you hurt Kousaka-san? Let me help you." Honoka looked up to see kind green eyes looking down on her affectionately. She was a girl with dark purple hair that fell down her shoulders in two thick pigtails tied by pink ribbons with curves were often the envy of the other girls at the school. People sometimes referred to her as a fortune teller since she's always seemed to have a tarot cards in her hands. Whenever people mentioned it to her, she would just laugh and brush it off, joking that she had strong spiritual powers. Honoka had always regarded her as a friendly classmate.

"Tojo-san." Honoka wasn't too surprised to see her. Nozomi wasn't participating in the sports event and never seemed to care for sports, which would explain why she would be here to help Honoka instead of madly cheering along with the rest of the class.

Her classmate smiled warmly and bent down. "Wrap your arms around my shoulder. I'll take you to the nurse. And you can call me Nozomi. I've been meaning to tell you that there really isn't any need for formalities."

"Thanks. Call me Honoka!"

The green eyed girl helped Honoka stand up and they slowly began the walk to the nurse's office.

"It's amazing what love can make us do isn't it?"

Honoka turned to look at her companion sharply. "Eh? What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I was just thinking about a book I read. It's funny how we never think about stories as anything more than just a pastime. But soon enough we are able to see our life as a story too, with us as the main characters."

Honoka sighed. "But it's much easier reading about characters in love than living out as one."

"True, but I think if we imagine that there are people cheering us on like we cheer on our favorite characters it might become a little bit easier."

Honoka turned to her classmate. "Tojo-san…if you don't mind me asking…do you like anyone right now?"

Her emerald eyes drooped slightly for an instant, but she turned to face the orange haired girl with a wink. "That's a secret, Kousaka-san."

They arrived at the nurse's office and Honoka was grateful to finally have a chance to rest her foot.

"Take off your shoes and socks, I'll start treating your ankle." Nozomi stood up and rummaged through the nurse's desk.

"Are you allowed to look through that?"

"I don't see why not. If the nurse has a problem with it then she should have been here to take care of possible patients herself."

Honoka looked skeptical. "Ok, but I'm not taking the blame if anything goes missing."

Nozomi laughed and waved her hands in the air, as if brushing away Honoka's comment. "No worries. I'm on the student council and that kind of gives me special privileges. Besides, I really don't think they'd be angry either way."

"Oh, ok then." Honoka stretched and leaned back until she was laying on her back against the bed staring at the ceiling.

"Uwaaaaa! I'm so glad it's over! The pressure was getting too intense. I thought I was going to lose my mind! But then Sonoda-san came sweeping in like a knight in shining armor…I don't know what I would have done without her. She really is special, don't you agree?"

"I do." said a different voice.

Honoka sat up quickly and looked at the direction of the voice. Standing at the doorway was Eli Ayase. The blond was leaning against the doorway casually.

"Who were you talking to anyways Kousaka-san?"

"Eh? Nozo-" Honoka stopped and looked around. _"Where's Nozomi?"_

"I didn't see anyone leave the room when I arrived." continued Eli, "You must be tired. I'll call the nurse while you get some rest."

"Why are you here Ayase-san?" asked Honoka, confused by Eli's actions from earlier and now.

"I came to get some ice for my friend, Rin. She accidently hit her knee against a pole and won't stop whining about it." Eli rolled her eyes. "It never hurts to treat it properly though, so I offered to get it for her. Umi's participating in the last event so she's busy, even though with your team's win, it's guaranteed that our class has won the entire festival." Eli walked inside and opened a small fridge that was beside the nurse's desk that Nozomi was rummaging through moments before. After acquiring a bag of ice, Eli turned to leave, pausing before exiting.

"Good job out there by the way. I know it's hard to pick yourself up again when you fall." With that, Eli left the room.

Honoka frowned and mumbled to herself. "Where _did_ Nozomi go?"

"I'm right here!" Nozomi stood up from where she was sitting on the floor on the other side of the bed, out of sight from anyone that would be entering the room.

"What were you doing down there? Were you _hiding_?"

The green eyed girl laughed. "No, I just dropped something that's all."

"On this side of the bed?"

"Yeah, it rolled from where I was, so I crawled over to get it." Nozomi held up a roll of bandages.

"Oh." Honoka frowned. "Well why didn't you say anything? Ayase-san probably thinks I'm crazy now!"

Nozomi turned away, "I just…didn't want to interrupt Ayase-san…that's all."

The orange girl watched Nozomi curiously. After a moment she gave up and spoke. "Well, I'm definitely not looking forward to later on today."

The purple haired girl tiled her head, confused. "Why's that?"

"I promised I was going to do something. Something that I will most likely regret."

"Ahhh, I see. Does it have to do with Sonoda-san?"

Honoka blushed. "Yeah."

Nozomi hesitated before continuing. "I think…no…I should warn you…I think Sonoda-san has a girlfriend…"

The blue eyed girl took a sharp breath. _"No…that's impossible…"_

"Are you…positive?"

"I'm pretty sure…I've been seeing her text a lot more in class lately…and I did see a new cell phone strap on Sonoda-san's phone today."

"Well what does that have to do with anything?"

"It was in the shape of a half heart. You know, the kind that couples share."

"Oh…"

"Yeah…"

After a few moments of silence Honoka grinned. "Well I'll never know unless I try right?"

Nozomi smiled. "I guess not!"

* * *

Honoka limped away from the nurse's office. Nozomi had left because she had some student council duties to attend to now that sports festival was officially over. She heard a familiar voice in front her that made her heart pound. Umi was walking with Eli, talking about the day's events and complaining about some of the upperclassmen, who according to her, has 'shamelessly cheated'. Umi and Eli were walking out of the school gate, and the orange haired girl knew that she had to call Umi out now or lose her chance. Honoka took a deep breath and began to force herself to move faster towards the blue haired girls as her ankle throbbed in pain. It was now or never.

"Sonoda-san! Sonoda-san! There's something I need to tell you!"

"Umi-chan!"

Honoka stopped, leaning her weight away from her injured foot. _"That voice…I know that voice!"_

"Minami! What are you doing here? Were you waiting for me? Sorry I took so long!" Umi waved at Kotori happily, then stopped to look around, finally spotting Honoka. "Kousaka-san! You called? You wanted to tell me something?"

Standing at the school gate was Kotori Minami, dressed in her Koizumi Academy uniform. She was happily waving at Umi, but turned to Honoka upon hearing Umi call to her. She gasped in surprised and began to wave excitedly at her old friend.

Honoka stared at Kotori who was jumping up and down excitedly. "Kotori-chan?!"

Kotori grinned happily. "Honoka-chan! It's been so long!" she ran to Honoka to give her a big hug, the blue eyed girl still in shock.

Umi blinked in surprise. "You two know each other?"

"Yeah, we were friends in middle school…" Honoka looked from Kotori to Umi, "How do you two know each other?"

Umi smiled, "Minami-san is my girlfriend! I actually was going to introduce you two because I had a feeling you would get along with each other. No wonder! I didn't know you two were already friends!

Honoka felt her heart stop. _"Kotori…is Sonoda-san's girlfriend?"_

"Yes…we just haven't talked to each other in a while…ever since we started high school actually…" Honoka looked at Kotori. "You should have told me you have a girlfriend now!"

Kotori shifted nervously, "I'm sorry…I guess I really didn't think about it…it's been a bit busy you know?"

Honoka scratched her head sheepishly, "It has been. It's ok! I didn't try to call you or text you either. Ehehehe…you should stop by the candy shop! We have some new recipes you haven't tried yet! My sister actually came up with a couple of them."

"Oh! Are you finally going to introduce me to your sister?"

"Oh yeah! You still need to meet her! I'll invite you over when she's home again. She goes to a school far away from here so she's hardly ever home."

"Same with my sister. So I know the feeling." Eli said quietly. Honoka looked at her in surprise. She had forgotten she was even there.

"Oh right! What were you going to tell me Honoka?" Umi looked at her former teammate expectantly.

"Eh?! Oh…umm…it's really not important…" Honoka turned her head away from the three girls after taking a glance at Kotori who was standing beside Umi.

"Are you sure?" Umi frowned "It sounded important."

"No…it's nothing, I've actually forgotten what I was even going to say."

"Are you sure?" asked Eli, "Whatever it is, Minami-san and I can wait out here and you can talk to Umi inside the school if you want. Some things are better to be done sooner rather than later" to Honoka's surprise, Eli gave a soft smile.

Kotori smiled too. "Do what you have to do Honoka-chan, I don't mind waiting here."

"Let's go inside then, Kousaka-san." Umi began to walk towards her.

Honoka sighed and began to follow, immediately wincing as she began to walk her on her injured ankle again.

Kotori gasped. "Honoka-chan? Are you hurt?"

Before Honoka could answer, Umi had walked over and picked her up effortlessly. The blue eyed girl felt her cheeks burn and she couldn't help but feel like a princess being carried away by a prince.

"I'll take you inside, then I'll carry you home. It's the least I can do for all your hard work."

If Honoka's cheeks could get any redder, they did. She dared to take a look at Kotori's reaction, but only saw the girl's back with her long ash brown trailing down. Honoka immediately felt guilty. Kotori deserved to have a girl as wonderful as Umi, and she didn't deserve to have an old friend come and confess to her girlfriend. Honoka sighed, there was no way she could go through it.

"You know Kousaka-san. Sometimes it's better to get things out of the way, even if you don't get the answer you hoped for." Eli said suddenly, interrupting Honoka's thoughts. "That way, you're able to move on easier. I've watched it happen before. It's painful, but there will always be someone that will give you the answer you want to hear. If you keep waiting or wishing to hear something from someone, without getting a clear response, it'll be a lot harder to move on."

Kotori suddenly turned around and smiled warmly at Honoka. "Do what you need to Honoka-chan, don't worry about anything else. We won't leave this up to us, we'll just see how it all turns out."

Umi blinked. "I have no idea what you guys are saying, do you Kousaka-san?" the dark haired girl looked down at the girl she was carrying.

"I think so…" Honoka frowned. It was almost as if Eli and Kotori _knew_ what she was going to say to Umi. As if they were encouraging her to do so.

"Alright, let's head on in then!"

Once inside their classroom, Umi set Honoka down on chair, sitting on the chair opposite to her.

"Now, what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

"I don't know if I can say it…." Honoka refused to make eye contact.

"Why not?"

"It really isn't my place to do so…even though the others seem to think that it's still necessary…"

"If you're worried about me being angry, you have nothing to be afraid of." It was Umi's turn to look away. "I know what they say about me…about me cursing people and being scary because of my glare…but it's not true. I would never be so unreasonable, even if I did have some sort of power to do so. Which I don't."

Honoka's eyes widened. "No! It has nothing to do with that! I'm not afraid…not anymore." She admitted quietly, "I used to be when I first met you, but know I can really see that you're just a wonderful, misunderstood person. A person I want to get to know better…"

Umi smiled widely, "I would love to get to know you better too Kousaka-san, I'm sure we can be the best of friends!"

Honoka flinched. "That's just it though. I don't want to be…just friends."

Umi tilted her head in confusion. "But…"

"I want to be your girlfriend!" Honoka shut her eyes and cried out, not knowing where her control went and immediately regretting her actions and she put her head down and covered her eyes in horror.

Silence.

It felt like hours to the orange haired girl as she sat in the empty, quiet classroom with the girl she had just confessed. She felt guilty for betraying Kotori and for having some sick want that Umi would accept her confession. Even though it seemed like Kotori had even given her approval, it didn't matter. As friend she should never have fallen for Umi in the first place. While she hoped for acceptance, deep inside she knew there was only one answer that could make her happy. She suddenly felt gentle fingers move her hands away from her eyes. Slowly, Honoka opened her blue eyes to see Umi's warm, soft gaze.

"I'm sorry Kousaka-san…I cannot reciprocate….your feelings."

Tears involuntarily began to form in Honoka's blue eyes. She felt her heart tug painfully, but at the same time felt a wave of relief.

"I love Minami. I'm sorry Kousaka-san…but thank you. Thank you for telling me, I know it must have been hard for you, especially since you're friends with Minami."

Honoka smiled through her tears. She heard the answer she had wanted. Even if Umi had chosen her over Kotori, she knew she could never be happy with that decision. Her friend's feelings were important, and she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she had hurt the taupe haired girl waiting patiently outside for her girlfriend.

"It's alright…I'm glad. I'm happy for you two. Kotori's a wonderful girl and so are you…you guys make a perfect couple." She wiped her tears away from her eyes. "I'll be ok! Kotori is waiting for you outside, and it's rude to make your girlfriend wait for you!" Honoka gave a cheerful wink through her still watering eyes.

"Are you sure?" Umi looked worried.

"Of course! Now go! Kotori is waiting! I actually kind of want to be alone right now anyway…"

"I understand." Umi stood up to leave. "I'll leave you to it then…" she turned around and began to walk towards the door, turning back to take a glance at Honoka before she exited the room. "Thank you for understanding…and again, I am sorry I can't be your girlfriend. But I'm very glad to have met you and I hope we can still be good friends!" Umi paused before adding. "Honoka…can I call you that?"

Honoka grinned and gave her a thumbs up. "Of course! But I'll be calling you Umi then!"

"That's perfectly fine. I'll see you next week. Enjoy your weekend." With that, Umi left, leaving the still teary eyed girl alone in the classroom. Honoka sighed and looked out the window. Despite her smiles she couldn't stop the stream of tears flowing from her eyes. She felt them travel down her cheeks and lips, eventually falling on her lap, leaving small damp spots on her track uniform. She didn't know how she was going to get home. Her ankle was still hurting and she couldn't find the energy to stand up. While she was relieved it had ended the way it did, she couldn't deny the heartbreak that tugged at her emotions. She wanted to cry and sob into her pillow at home.

"Kousaka-san, I was hoping I'd find you here" Honoka turned away from the window to face the speaker. To her surprise, she found Eli leaning against the doorway for the second time that day.

"Ayase-san? What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Oh…." Honoka looked away again and quickly rubbed her eyes. "Thank you. I'm fine."

"Do you want a ride home? I know you're still injured and Umi just left with Minami-san…she said you told her to."

"I did…I'm fine…"

"Liar."

Honoka couldn't help but shoot her a glare. Normally, she would have more patience, but the fact that Eli seemed to know what she was thinking was beginning to annoy her immensely. "I am fine. Thank you for your concern." She kept her tone firm.

Eli sighed and walked over to Honoka, turned away from her and crouched down.

"W-What are you doing?"

"Offering you a piggy back ride home. You're injured remember?"

Honoka couldn't help but smile. "Is this what you meant by offering a ride home?"

"Obviously. It's not like I own a car or have a driver's license."

"Well my ankle does hurt a lot…"

"Just get on already." Honoka couldn't help but giggle at Eli's slightly irritated voice.

"Alright! Don't complain if I'm too heavy!"

* * *

The walk to Honoka's house was uneventful. Eli proved to be quite strong as she was able to walk at a normal pace even with Honoka's added wait. As her family's sweet shop came into view, the orange haired girl tugged at Eli's ponytail gently.

"I am not horse." The blond's irritation was evident.

Honoka laughed out loud. "Sorry! I couldn't help it!"

"Is it right to assume that you want me to stop walking?"

"Actually yes, can you set me down on that bench over there? I want to stall a little bit before going inside…I know my eyes are probably still a bit red from before."

"Alright." Once Honoka was seated on the bench, Eli took a seat beside her.

"This feeling is familiar."

"Eh?"

"I'm usually sitting on a bench next to Minami-san and Umi. So sitting here just feels familiar."

"Oh…"

"Sorry, it was insensitive of me to bring them up."

"No it's fine. I mean, I have to get used to it eventually. It's not like they're going anywhere."

"True, they really do care a lot about each other."

"Do you ever get jealous? I mean I'm sure Umi spends less time with you now that she Kotori."

Eli chuckled. "Actually, I'm usually dragged off to join them. It's usually me the one insisting they have some alone time since I'm almost always there."

"Does that bother you?"

"No, I just think they shouldn't worry about me. I've told them countless times that I'm perfectly fine on my own."

"You don't get lonely? You don't want someone to be with?"

"As in a significant other? Not really. I'm actually pretty happy being single right now. Maybe someday."

"Wow, I wish I was like that."

"You're not? Who did you like before Umi?"

"No one. I mean, I guess maybe in middle school I had a few crushes, but none recently. I just think that everyone wants to have someone to be with."

"That makes sense. But I've never been the most sociable person."

"That's ironic. Especially since all the girls are always fawning over you."

Eli grimaced. "Don't remind me."

"You've noticed? That's surprising, you always seem oblivious."

"It's just easier to avoid them that way."

"Oh that's actually really smart of you!"

"Yeah."

Honoka took a deep breath.

"So, how did you know that I liked Umi?"

"It was obvious."

Honoka paled. "Really?"

"I think you either had to be observant or know you very well. In my case, I was observant. For Minami-san, I would assume she was able to tell because you two are friends."

"Wait, what? Kotori-chan _knew_?"

Eli nodded. "She did. The two of us saw you give that towel to Umi the other day. We were on our way to meet up with her too. Minami-san pulled me to side so that you wouldn't see us. She was concerned obviously, but I think that the fact that it was you who was getting close to Umi really caught her off guard. I told her she had nothing to worry about, but she knew that you had feelings for her girlfriend. With you two being friends, it kind of put her in an awkward position. I texted her afterwards to make sure she was okay, and she told me she would just let it all play it's course. Although it was that same day she gave Umi that heart key chain. So I guess in her own way she was fighting for Umi too."

"As she should." Honoka said while smiling. "They must be perfect together."

"They are. I'm assuming your feelings for Umi haven't changed yet either."

Honoka sighed. "Of course, it's going to take a while to get over her. But I respect her relationship with Kotori so I won't interfere. Besides, I would feel too guilty to actually try to tear them apart or anything."

Eli gave a relieved smile. "That's good. I'm glad. It'll be easier for you to move on now since you've already confessed."

"Is that why you were pushing me to do it?"

"Yeah. It's just that I recently found out someone close to me really liked another person for such a long time that when they found someone else, someone that actually returned the feelings, they were having trouble letting go. I didn't want that to happen to you too. It's better this way."

"Thanks, Eli."

Eli raised an eyebrow, but smiled. "You're welcome…Honoka."

Honoka stood up and stretched, wincing at the added weight on her ankle. "Uwaaaaaa! What a day! I can't wait to go to sleep!"

Eli rolled her eyes. "You should have told me you wanted to go inside."

"Nah, I can walk from here. Thanks for the ride!" Honoka limped towards her family's sweet shop. Before entering through the doors she turned and waved at Eli.

"Thanks for being such a good friend Eli!"

Eli grinned, a rare action from the blond, and waved. "Of course! I'll see you next week. We'll introduce you to our other friends, Nico and Rin! I'm sure you'll get along great with them!"

"Sure thing!"

* * *

Honoka entered her family's shop with another deep sigh. It really had been a long day and she was desperate to hide beneath the comfort of her bed's warm covers.

"Onee-chan!"

"Yukiho?!" Today really was a day of surprises.

"Geez Onee-chan, what did you do now? You're limping!" Yukiho quickly looked for a first aid kit.

"Don't worry about it, it's already been treated."

"Oh ok." Yukiho leaned against the shop counter.

"You can help me get to my room though!"

"Oh right!" Yukiho giggled sheepishly and skipped over to her older sister, allowing her to lean against her.

"What are you doing home anyways? I didn't know you were on break."

"I'm not, I just realized I left a couple of my favorite sweaters here so I decided to come home for a couple of days to pick them up."

Honoka rolled her eyes. "Glad to hear you missed us."

The younger girl grinned. "Hey! I'm missing time with my girlfriend to be here!"

The high school girl gasped. "Girlfriend?!"

"Well...not yet. But I think we're getting there! Soon…hopefully…she's still not over her old crush."

"Wait…she's still likes someone else?"

"Yeah…but the girl she likes has a girlfriend. She says she's getting over it, but it was a really deep crush. I doubt it'll be that easy for her to move on."

"I see…did she ever confess?"

"No she didn't."

"Maybe that's why she can't move one. Someone just told me of a similar situation recently."

"Really? How funny, what a small world."

"Tell me about it…I mean, I just confessed to someone with a girlfriend."

"You WHAT?!"

"Ehehehe" Honoka scratched the back of her nervously, "I really don't want to talk about it now."

"Then why did you bring it up?"

"Good point." They had arrived at her room and Honoka was grateful to sit on her bed.

"Alright, I won't ask. But tell me the next time I come home ok?"

Honoka grinned. "Better yet, I'll introduce you! We're friends after all!"

Yukiho smiled grateful that Honoka seemed to be doing well despite her rejection. Now, she was now clearly able to see her older sister's obvious reddened and swollen eyes. It was evident that she had been crying. "Deal!"

* * *

 **SO. I didn't plan on introducing Nozomi this early on, but I just couldn't help it. This chapter I would say is the most different from the anime _Ore Monogatari_ , with some things added and the order being a bit off. I had so much trouble writing Honoka's confession/rejection I literally rewrote the scene like 10 times, and in the end I decided to make those changes from anime because Kotori and Honoka are originally friends which complicated things. Anyways, I won't say how it goes down in the anime in case some of you haven't watched it yet and if you have, the differences were obvious. **

**Thanks again for being patient with my updates, I will continue to update as soon as I can. Just know that I will not abandon this story, I will continue updating until the end!**

 **A big thank you to all of those who have followed, favorited, and read this story up to this point! I can't believe how many followers and such this story has!**

 **Please leave a review, I enjoy reading them immensely!**

 **Until next time!**


	11. Christmas in a Small World

**I'm back and alive! I have no words to express how sorry I am for the delay of this chapter. Let's just say life got crazy. I finally have time after so long, believe me, I am so relieved and happy to be writing again. It took a long time for me to get back in the zone since it had been a long time since I've worked on this story, but I think I've kind of gotten the hang of it. I hope you enjoy!**

 **Oh. And I am SO sorry this chapter is out of season! Hope you don't mind a little bit of Christmas in July!**

* * *

Chapter 11: Christmas in a Small World

After the sports festival and Honoka's confession, the orange haired girl became fast friends with Rin and Nico, fitting in perfectly into the close knit group. Even though she had been rejected by Umi during her confession, the two girls were still close friends and Honoka would sometimes accompany Eli and Umi to meet with Kotori after school. Nico and Rin especially enjoyed all the sweets Honoka would bring from her shop. Even so, no one enjoyed the sweets more than Eli. If it were not for the blond's exceptional self-control, she would probably be eating all the sweets Honoka brought all by herself. Umi was surprised that Eli had taken to them so well, especially since she knew her best friend wasn't the biggest fan of sweets. She knew that Eli enjoyed Kotori's baked goods as well, but clearly she enjoyed Honoka's sweets on a whole other level.

Weeks had passed and the weather began cooling down to an icy chill and with it came the unboxing of heavy scarves and coats that had been stored away seasons before. The windows brightened with bulbs of color as the season changed and stores advertised the holiday season. Winter break had arrived and school was out for the time being, with the occasional snow trickling from the sky. Umi couldn't believe that time had gone by so quickly, in her sheer happiness, she had let it flow by without giving it a second thought. The holidays were approaching rapidly, but she remained oblivious to her surroundings, the only she cared about were her friends and girlfriend, some of whom were walking beside her. To be more exact, her girlfriend Kotori was walking beside her with her hand grasping Umi's hand delicately while Honoka and Eli tagged along behind them, talking about the sweet shop's seasonal candies that would begin to sell in the following days.

"Uwaaaaa! My sister just texted me telling me that she won't be home until the day before Christmas!" Honoka whined as she stared at her phone screen in despair. "That means we're going to be short on staff during the busy holiday rush!"

Eli rolled her eyes. "It really wouldn't kill you to be on your toes for a couple of days."

Honoka pouted. "I bet I'm going to be too tired to even enjoy Christmas!"

Umi turned her sideways to speak to Honoka from where she walked in front of her. "Don't say that! I'm sure you'll have a wonderful Christmas!"

"Eh, my parents usually go visit some friends of theirs which leaves me to cook Christmas dinner for my sister and myself. But I guess it will be alright either way."

Kotori stopped walking, causing Umi to stop as well and look at her curiously. "Honoka-chan! Why don't you spend Christmas with me?" Kotori looked at Eli and Umi and gasped excitedly. "Why don't we celebrate Christmas together?! We can invite Maki-chan, Hanayo-chan, and Rin-chan and Nico-chan!"

Umi grinned. "That's sounds like a great idea! I was going to just go over Eli's and Arisa's anyways." She looked at Eli. "Why don't we all just meet up somewhere instead? I'm sure Arisa would love to hang out with Nico and Rin again too."

Eli smiled. "That's true. She adores hearing Nico sing just as much as Nico enjoys singing. She'll be tired from her school's exams so it would be nice for her to enjoy herself with a lot of people."

"Can I bring my sister too then?" Honoka piped in, cheeks already beginning to flush from excitement.

"Of course! I've been wanting to meet her for so long!"

"By the way," Eli turned to orange haired girl curiously, "Is your sister's name Yu-"

*RING RING*

Eli stopped mid-sentence as Honoka scanned her ringing phone. The young girl visibly paled as she read the entourage of messages her phone was receiving.

She groaned. "Oh no…I forgot I was supposed to help my mom at the shop today after school." She looked at everyone apologetically. "I have to go, I'll see you guys on Christmas then ok? I'll bring my sister along!"

With that, she ran off, clutching her school bag and phone as she maneuvered her way through people walking on the streets. Eli rolled her eyes while Kotori giggled.

"Well, at least her running has improved recently" commented Umi.

* * *

"That's sounds like so much fun nya! I'll text Kayochin to make sure she's going too!" Rin grabbed her phone and immediately began typing out the message to her best friend.

She, Nico, and Eli were enjoying tea at Umi's house as they got a head start on their vacation homework. Normally, Nico and Rin would wait until the last minute and beg Umi for help, but this time Eli had forced them to get an early start. Umi had invited Honoka too, but she was too busy with her family's shop to tag along. She had already confirmed that she would be attending the Christmas party with her sister, but it didn't seem like she had any time to spare before then.

Nico leaned over towards Rin. "While you're at it…can you try to subtly find out if Maki is going?"

Eli raised an eyebrow as she eyed Nico curiously. Umi asked, "Why's that?"

Nico looked away nervously and mumbled. "Because I think Christmas would be a good day..."

"Good day for what?" Umi asked, looking confused. "I think Christmas will be fun too, especially since all our friends are going."

"I don't think that's what Nico's talking about." Eli smirked slightly as she realized what Nico's plan was. "So Nico, just how long has this been going on?"

"Has what been going on?" Umi looked between Nico and Eli who ignored her.

"Ever since I met her really…when she gave me a ride home I asked for her phone number and we've been keeping in contact ever since. Well, I'm always the one to start the conversations, but she always responds!"

"Isn't it common courtesy to respond?" said Umi frowning.

"Have you two seen each other since then?" asked Eli.

"Yeah once…I invited her to the movies one day and we went."

"You and Nishikino-san?" Umi asked starting to get annoyed that she seemed to be missing something.

"Yeah." Nico grinned. "But there's no way she'll be able to resist the great Nico Nico Nii on Christmas of all days!"

"Don't use that to pressure her!" scolded Umi. "But resist what?"

Nico groaned. "Jeez, Umi! Isn't is obvious! I'm going to confess!"

Rin dropped her phone as her jaw dropped from shock. "You're confessing nya?!"

Umi gaped at Nico in shock too. Eli rubbed her forehead in defeat. "You two are so dense. You're lucky your girlfriends took the initiative to start your relationships."

"Girlfriends?" Umi gestured to Rin. "Koizumi-san and Rin are just friends though."

"Nope! Kayochin is my girlfriend!"

Now it was Nico's turn to gape at Rin with Umi following in suit.

"WHAT?" said both girls in unison. Eli laughed at their surprise.

"This time it's not your fault for not noticing. I actually found out on accident."

Rin nodded her head vigorously. "It's true! Eli overheard me while I was talking to Kayochin on the phone!"

Umi frowned. "Why were you keeping it a secret though? You know you don't need to keep anything from us."

"I was going to tell you guys, but I kind of forgot to?"

Nico groaned. "Great. Now I'm the only single one left in our group."

"What about me? I'm single too." Eli said looking annoyed by Nico's statement.

"Sorry Eli, while you may be the most sought after girl in school, you're really not my type."

"I didn't mean it like that" snapped the blond.

"I know, I know. I just love seeing how annoyed you get."

Umi laughed as Eli sighed in defeat. She smiled as she watched her friends continue to chat about Nico's upcoming confession. Nico apparently wanted to something special for Maki but didn't know what to do. The dark haired girl sighed happily as she realized that Kotori had brought happiness to not only her, but her close friends as well. Rin had found Hanayo, and Nico and had found Maki, Umi grinned at the thought of them together. It really did seem like fate.

* * *

"Oh! Rin-chan just sent me a message about a Christmas party?" Hanayo looked up at Kotori who was sitting cross legged in front of her with a dress on her lap as she prepared a needle with thread.

Hanayo and Maki were at Kotori's house helping her finish up some last minute designs for an upcoming fashion show. Maki wasn't the best at sewing, but she was the perfect size to act as Kotori's model for the clothes. She acted as her model while the Kotori made adjustments to the garments. Hanayo on the other hand, was gifted with neat stitches and would often help Kotori with simple needlework whenever she was behind on her work. The taupe haired girl had been enjoying spending her time with her girlfriend so much that she had put off her fashion work. It was crucial that she finished the designs soon, because the beginning of a new year was approaching and with it came an entourage of fashion shows and new year trends.

"Oh yes! I was going to tell you two about it today, but I guess it just slipped my mind." Kotori started sewing the blouse as she spoke. "Are you two interested?"

"Well of course! I'll tell Rin-chan that I'm going then!"

A muffled voice asked. "Will Nico be going?" Maki pulled a blouse down and turned in a circle. "Kotori, I don't think this needs any adjustments. It fits perfectly."

Kotori frowned and put down the clothing she was working on. She examined the blouse from all angles while Maki stood perfectly still, knowing how to from all the experience she had helping her friend.

"Maybe…" murmured the designer, seemingly deep in thought.

"Maybe for what? The blouse or Nico?"

"Huh? Oh the blouse. It might need some slight adjustments…" Kotori continued to eye it with her trained designer's eye, "I'm not sure if Nico-chan's coming for sure. Umi-chan was going to invite her but I don't know what her response was."

Hanayo looked up from her work. "Why are you so curious about Nico-chan?"

"I'm not!" Maki crossed her arms and looked away. "It was just a question. It didn't mean anything."

Kotori lightly swatted Maki's arms, motioning her to uncross them as she made some adjustments to the sleeves.

"Are sure about that? I mean, you specifically asked about Nico…" Hanayo eyed the now blushing model.

"Y-yeah, of course."

Kotori smiled widely. "Oh Maki-chan! You have a crush on her don't you!"

"W-what? I do not!" sputtered Maki, her face growing increasingly hotter.

"It's ok I didn't really expect you to admit it."

"I d-do NOT!"

"It's ok to like someone Maki-chan! Look at Rin and me! We liked each other for years and now we couldn't be happier now that we're finally an official couple!"

"Well that's different…you and Rin were like made for each other."

"And you and Nico aren't?"

"Well no…I mean she's different."

Kotori frowned. "Different from you? That's a good thing. You wouldn't want to be dating yourself would you?"

"Well no…but she can do so much more that I can. She can sing, dance, cook, clean, take care of her siblings wonderfully…she's like superwoman or something."

"And? Those are wonderful traits Maki-chan…I don't really see the problem here."

Maki sighed in frustration. "Well, I mean…I can't do any of that. All I can do is study and get good grades." She looked down at herself wearing Kotori's handiwork, "And I guess I look good in fashionable clothes too…"

Hanayo rolled her eyes. "No you don't. You look gorgeous! And I am sure Nico likes you just the way you are. Why else would she be always initiating conversations with you? I bet she was the one that asked for your number too."

"Well yeah she was. Wait, how did you know that she's always texting me?"

Kotori grinned. "You're just too obvious Maki-chan."

Maki's face burned as a bright pink flush spread across her cheeks.

"S-Shut up."

Both Hanayo and Kotori burst out laughing.

"You're too cute Maki-chan!"

Maki looked away in annoyance. "S-So is she going or not?"

"Well I already told you, I don't know for sure," Kotori grinned mischievously, "I will definitely find out though!"

* * *

"So Umi-chan, do you have the final count on who's coming? I want to reserve the karaoke room as soon as possible for the party." Kotori looked at Umi expectantly as Umi walked her home from their date.

"Well, both Honoka and Eli are bringing their sisters…so that makes four, plus Rin and Nico, which makes six."

"Oh! Nico is going? For sure?"

Umi nodded, "Yeah. By the way, has Nishikino-san confirmed if she's going?"

Kotori grinned and pulled out her phone and began typing quickly. "Yes, she has!"

"So, Minami, have you noticed anything with Nishikino-san? Anything different?"

"Different? Well…what kind of different?"

Umi scratched her head nervously, "Oh I don't know, like romantically different? Like has she shown any hints that she might like someone?"

Kotori stopped walking. "Why would you ask that? Do you know someone that likes her?" Her eyes flashed excitedly and she took a step towards her girlfriend. "Is it someone I know? Someone close to you that happens to be very passionate about singing and dancing?"

"….Ummm…that's very specific but maybe?" Umi looked uncertain. She didn't want to betray Nico by telling Kotori, but at the same time, since Kotori was friends with Maki, getting her on Nico's side would be beneficial to the short up and coming idol.

"Yay!" Kotori jumped up and down and twirled excitedly. She grabbed Umi's hand and giggled. " _I love her so much_ " thought Umi as she admired Kotori's cuteness.

"This is perfect!"

Umi raised an eyebrow. "Is it?"

Kotori just giggled and winked. "It is!"

* * *

Soon the long-awaited holiday arrived, bringing with it a gentle snowfall to accentuate the holiday spirit. The colored lights that littered the streets reflected off the snow, creating a beautiful array of colors. People bustled busily in the streets, rushing to buy last minute purchases for their loved ones, while exhausted employees smiled gratefully at the clock as closing hour approached. It was the same for the Kousaka's sweet shop, with two young girls packaging the last sweets of the night, not the for their customers, but for their friends. Honoka wiped her forehead with towel gratefully, glancing at the empty displays.

"Looks like we completely sold out this year! Good thing I separated some sweets for the party." The orange haired girl beamed. "Time to finally get out of this shop and join the fun! You take the longest to get ready Yukiho, so I'll close everything up and clean a little bit before I get ready."

Yukiho grinned. "Oh I wouldn't worry about me taking forever. Shouldn't you spend some time getting ready too? Isn't that girl you confessed to going to be at the party?"

Honoka pouted. "I told you to forget about that! She and I are just friends now, I told you that. Plus, her girlfriend is an old friend of mine from middle school so I care about both them too much to even think about dating her."

"Alright alright. I'm just saying, just because you got rejected doesn't mean you shouldn't look presentable."

"I can still look presentable when I hurry!"

The younger girl rolled her eyes. "Sure you can. Just hurry up, we don't want to be late." She paused as she began to leave the room. "Your friends…they're nice right? They don't mind that you're bringing me along? I mean they don't even know me…and I'm younger…I'm not even in high school yet."

Honoka rolled her eyes. "Don't be silly Yukiho, they're happy you're coming! They're excited to meet you! Plus, I've been dying to introduce you to all them. They were all really supportive of me during the sports festival when I was forced to participate in the relay. You'll like them! And I think one of my friends is bringing her sister too, although I don't know how old she is since I haven't met her. I do know that she's younger though."

Yukiho grinned. "Yay! Ok, at least I'll have someone to talk to. Hopefully your friend's sister is nice."

"She must be if she doesn't mind listening to Nico talk about herself all day." Honoka grimaced. "But I'm sure you'll like Nico too, you like idols and Nico is obsessed with idols so you will be fine."

"Ok, I'm going to hurry and get ready then so that we won't be late. You should hurry too! I don't want to make a bad first impression on your friends or make them think that I was the one that made you late."

"We still have enough time. My friend scheduled it pretty late because there were a few of us that had some work to do before we could head over. Plus, I think that was the only time slot available when she reserved the karaoke room."

"Oh good! I was worried we would be too late to try some of your friend's baking. I always steal some from the stuff you bring home and its tastes amaaaaaazing!"

"Yukiho!"

Yukiho laughed and began running up the stairs that led to their rooms. "Whoops! I never meant to tell you haha!"

* * *

After about thirty minutes Yukiho came running down the stairs again dressed in warm stockings and low heeled boots. She twirled in her skirt in front of a mirror quickly before checking her makeup. Christmas was a special occasion, so she felt excited to dress up a bit. Honoka descended the stairs shortly after, wearing a similar outfit except with flat boots and a beanie covering the top of her head. Like Yukiho, she looked flushed and excited to leave.

"All ready Onee-chan?"

"Ready!"

The sisters entered the cool dark night, gasping as their skin adjusted to the lower temperature. Their cheeks flushed from the cold, but they still clutched their packaged sweets and continued down the road towards their destination. They chatted aimlessly, with Honoka finally having an opportunity to talk to her sister about her time in boarding school since that last time she had returned home. Yukiho told her older sister about her best friend and crush who also lived nearby, she also sheepishly confessed that she had used Honoka's amusement park tickets to take her crush and her sister, along with her sister's friends to park. The older girl had whined and complained for an entire block before Yukiho finally agreed to pay her back at some point, to which Honoka had readily agreed and ceased complaining.

"So what was it like taking your crush and her sister out? I mean I'm assuming all of her sister's friends were older than you, weren't they? And you seemed to be a bit nervous about coming with me today because of my friends are older."

She sighed in response. "Yeah, they are older, but…they're really nice. I got to know them a little bit more that day and they're really nice. They're actually your age I think."

"Really? Do you know what school they go to?"

Yukiho shook her head. "No, I never got to see them in their uniform, and I never really thought about asking either."

"I wonder if they go to my school? Haha imagine I actually knew them?"

"That would be way too weird," Yukiho rolled her eyes, "Besides…I heard that one of them isn't really popular with girls at least. So, I doubt that even if she went to your school that you would have heard of her."

"Oh, I see."

"But then again, Arisa noticed her." Yukiho sighed. "Well, she is really sweet though. I have nothing bad to say about her even if I wanted to. She was nice to me, even though she really didn't know me. I hate to say this, but I have the best love rival ever. I must admit though, she is pretty once you look past the scowl."

"Best love rival ever? That's an interesting title…and I don't know why but the name Arisa really rings a bell…" Honoka went silent, struggling to remember where she had heard that name before.

" _Oh no, I said that out loud…I can't tell Arisa's secret. Even though Honoka doesn't know Umi or Arisa…it would be betraying Arisa's trust."_

"But never mind _my_ crush. What about yours? I know you said not to mention it, but I mean she is coming tonight. And you have an obligation to tell me who she is so I can get a good take on who is this mystery girl that stole my sister's heart!

"Yukiho! I told you, we're just friends now!"

"I know, but that doesn't mean you don't have to tell me who she is." Yukiho pouted. "I want to know who you confessed to!"

Honoka sighed. "Alright, I'll give you some sort of a signal to indicate it's her then. Or maybe I should just tell you her name. Ok, her name is-"

"Oh look we're here!" Distracted, Yukiho began to skip ahead towards the building, "Come on Honoka! I can't wait to feel warm air again!"

"Coming!" Honoka jogged up to the building, following her younger sister, the previous talk forgotten as the excitement of the party kicked in.

As they entered, they shrugged off their coats and check in at the front the desk. Honoka stepped forward the man behind the counter.

"Hi! Merry Christmas! We're here for the party under Kotori Minami. Can you tell us which room it's in? We might be a little bit early…"

Yukiho frowned. _"Minami-san? That was Sonoda-san's girlfriend's name wasn't it? No, it can't be…"_

"Honoka-chan!" squeaked a voice from the building's entrance. "You made it! And…Yukiho? What are you doing here? It's good to see you again!"

The girl with red brown hair turned slowly to face the newcomer. She instantly recognized the taupe haired girl as her love rival's girlfriend, Umi, who was also approaching. Trailing behind them was the Ayase sisters, with their blond hair and striking blue eyes. Yukiho's eyes widened as she watched her older sister rush over to greet Arisa and her friends. As Arisa approached, her eyes also widened to match Yukiho's, surprise clearly etched on her face. Eli's lips formed a knowing smile as she glanced first at Yukiho, and immediately flicked her eyes over Honoka. She knew she had guessed correctly about the two girls with the last name Kousaka.

"W-what? Kotori? Arisa and Ayase-san? _Sonoda-san_?!"

Honoka turned around to face her sister again. "Wait, how do you know them?"

Eli smirked. "We met under some interesting circumstances."

Yukiho smiled sheepishly. Honoka looked even more confused.

"Allow me to clarify." Eli said, clearly enjoying the situation while everyone seemed to still be processing what Yukiho's presence with Honoka meant. "Your sister was nice enough to give us tickets to an amusement park the last time she visited. From what I can see, she and my sister Arisa are really close friends."

"Oh!" Kotori clapped her hands. "How funny! Yeah, we actually met Yukiho a long time ago Honoka-chan! I didn't know she was your sister though! I should have thought about it though, I mean you do have the same last name…"

Umi smiled warmly at her girlfriend. "I don't think any of us ever considered it. I never realized what a small world this is." She looked up Yukiho and smiled at her too. "I'm glad to see you again, it has been a while."

Arisa walked over to Yukiho shaking her head in disbelief. "Who would have known that our sisters were actually already friends?"

Yukiho grinned in response, finally getting over the shock. "I know! But here, I would like you to meet my sister Honoka." She turned to Honoka. "Onee-chan, this is Arisa, you know, my _best friend_ I told you about."

The orange haired girl's eyes widened slightly as she realized Yukiho's implication. "Oh it's so nice to meet you! Yukiho is always talking about you! I know how special you are to her!" She gave an obvious wink. Eli mentally groaned.

"It's nice to meet you too Kousaka-san!" chirped the younger girl.

" _Onee-chan said that the girl she confessed to was going to be here…"_ Yukiho looked over the chatting girls, her eyes falling on the blond beauty who stood talking to Honoka amiably. _"Is it Ayase-san? It has to be! She's so pretty and cool…but wait, isn't that bad?! I like Arisa, and my sister like Arisa's sister? It's like straight out of some cheesy ecchi manga or something!"_

"Yukiho!"

The girl in question blinked as she emerged from her thoughts. Honoka was giving her a pointed look.

"I was just telling you, that Umi here was the one that helped me the most for the relay. You know _the one_ that spent extra time to train me?"

Eli forced herself not to cringe at Honoka's lack of subtlety. She glanced at her favorite couple to make sure they weren't uncomfortable with this topic. Thankfully, both Umi and Kotori were completely oblivious.

"The one that…" Yukiho trailed off as processed Honoka's emphasized words.

" _NO. Sonoda-san?! Sonoda-san is THE ONE?! My love rival…no…my love rival is also my sister's crush? The person she confessed to?"_ Yukiho's thoughts flooded her head as she realized how small the world really was. She looked at Umi in awe and said, "You're really something else aren't you Sonoda-san?"

Umi tilted her head in confusion. "I am? I mean I didn't think I spent that much extra time with your sister. It's something any teammate would do, or at least should do."

Kotori giggled. "Nope! Not everyone, just you Umi-chan!"

Honoka nodded in agreement.

" _Sonoda-san…you have no idea."_ thought Yukiho.

"Let's get inside everyone, they should be serving us some drinks soon!"

At Kotori's announcement, the whole grouped left to their room, excited to begin the day's festivities.

* * *

They passed the evening laughing and singing, with Yukiho and Arisa laughing along with their sisters and friends. All the girls were natural singers, scoring well on each song. It was Yukiho's and Arisa's first time doing karaoke, so they were shy at first, but the enthusiasm of the group encouraged them to step out and try a song for themselves. They were all clearly in the Christmas spirit, and everyone was a bit more hyper than usual, as if they all had a surging sugar rush. Yukiho laughed at Rin and Honoka's antics and watched as they went out of their way to annoy Eli. She had never seen this playful side of the older Ayase sister, so it surprised her when she winked at her as Honoka lunged towards the blond to 'find her tickle spot.' Eli dodged her easily, causing the older Kousaka to crash into a waiting Rin instead. Tears gathered at Arisa's eyes as she laughed at their predicament. Kotori and Umi stayed close together the entire night, Umi shielding Kotori from any of Rin's pranks, and always tending to Kotori's every need. She noticed that Arisa had barely glanced at Umi the entire night, and instead kept stealing glances at her. Yukiho blushed whenever this happened, and her heart fluttered with excitement of the prospect of Arisa finally responding to her feelings. Hanayo would always laugh nervously whenever Rin would get out of hand, and was always able to tone the eccentric girl down by simply talking to her with her sweet soothing voice. Maki, on the other hand seemed on edge the entire night, with her finger tapping against her knee as she watched Nico dominate the karaoke mic. While she did seem to the be in high spirits like the rest of the girls, there were times where she would get quiet and twirl her hair with her finger. It was almost as if she was nervous for something, and just by her body language, it was obvious it had to do with the eccentric raven haired girl that sang more karaoke than anyone else. Kotori and Hanayo would take turns sitting next the Maki, and slightly nudge her at times, but she always just blushed and turned her head away from them after stealing a glance at the pigtailed idol. Whenever Nico sang any sort of romantic lyric, she would make an obvious gesture towards Maki to indicate that the lyric was for her. The red haired beauty would simply blush and look away again. Finally, to everyone's surprise, Maki stood up, her face red but determined and said,

"Let me sing a song, Nico-chan."

Nico grinned widely, and held out the karaoke mic to her. Kotori began to clap excitedly while Umi raised her eyebrows. Eli looked impressed.

" _Well this should be interesting."_

This time, when Maki got to a romantic lyric she faced Nico and sang it to her, as if she was determined to convey her feelings with her lovely, feminine voice. Nico seemed dumbfounded, but with a soft push from Umi stepped forward and took the took Maki's hand that was holding the mic and pulled the mic closer to her, so that the two girls were both holding it at the same time. She sang with Maki too, while Maki's nerves began to get the better of her. Before the she could tear away from Nico, Nico gave her a wink. That wink seemed to calm her and smiled gratefully and was able to power through the rest of the song confidently with Nico singing along. The entire group cheered loudly, as the two girls finished the song. Maki looked bewildered and genuinely surprised at what she had done, but Nico just looked excited. She grabbed Maki's hand and squeezed, causing yet another blush on the young girl's cheek. A knock on the door silenced the entire group as an employee poked their head in.

"Hey, just letting you know, ten minutes until your time for the room is up. We'll be closing soon so please be ready to leave the room by then."

Once the employee left the room, Rin let out a loud sigh.

"Way to kill the mood nya!"

Everyone laughed in response and began to gather their things and quickly eat the rest of the food. There wasn't much left, mostly the snacks the venue had provided, since everyone preferred the homemade food and desserts that Kotori, Honoka, and Hanayo had brought. Once they were ready to leave, Nico held her out her hand to Maki, who took it happily and let her lead her out of the room. Kotori clapped her hands at the sight and smiled up at Umi triumphantly, who nodded in return with a serene smile on her face.

* * *

When the group exited the building, there was a new couple among them. Nico and Maki emerged holding hands, Maki looking as if she might melt from both embarrassment and happiness, while Nico looked as if she couldn't believe what was happing.

"Best Christmas ever." Declared Nico, squeezing Maki's hand a little bit.

With a blush, Maki responded with a nod.

Everyone else chatted with each other, recounting the highlights of the night and laughing at the same jokes all over again. The group stopped in front after a few steps from the entrance, looking up in awe. In front of them, was a giant Christmas tree, as tall as the two-story building they had just left. When they first had entered the building, the tree appeared to be plain, but now it was covered in bright colored lights that hugged the tree, swirling around the body to the top where a giant, bright, golden star was perched at the tip of the tree. The girls looked at the tree in wonder, the lights giving a soft and warm aura as they flickered with the wind.

"I think I've heard of this tree before. Is this the tree with the legendary tree topper?"

Everyone turned to Eli as she spoke. She looked at them questioningly.

"Have you guys never heard of it? You know, the story about that one couple?"

"About a couple nya? That does sort of ring a bell…" said Rin squinting her eyes as she tried to remember.

"Well anyways, supposedly, this couple was walking along the street when one of them said they would love to be able to touch the star. The other, wanting to please their significant other, climbed the tree to get the star to bring to her. From then on, the star has been the symbol of love, and a good luck charm for relationships."

"Wait…that it?" said Maki looking completely unimpressed. She twirled her finger around her hair. "That story just seems so…anticlimactic."

Eli nodded in agreement. "I always thought so too, but Arisa has always loved that story. Right Arisa?"

Her little sister blushed and nodded furiously. "It's so romantic! I mean climbing this tree is frightening, dangerous, and hard! But it was done to give happiness to a loved one!" Arisa sighed. "But it just seems so impossible you know? Amazing, but impossible…"

"Uwaaa! When you put it that way, it does sound super romantic!" Honoka also sighed wistfully.

Umi looked at Kotori lovingly. "Minami, do you want-"

"I'm going!" cried Yukiho, completely interrupting Umi and running towards the tree.

"EHHHH?" Everyone stared at Yukiho in awe.

"Well, there goes my idea." said Umi chuckling.

Kotori giggled. "Well, we don't really need it. I think we are perfect just the way we are. But maybe it'll give Yukiho an extra little push."

Arisa stood frozen as she watched Yukiho jump on the tree. She couldn't believe it. Was Yukiho getting the star for _her_? Her face turned red but she couldn't help the smile that graced her lips. She now knew. She had known for a while, that Yukiho held her affection. It wasn't about Umi anymore, it was about Yukiho. Whenever she imagined holding someone's hands, or imagined making Valentine's day chocolates for someone, it was always her best friend that she pictured. She was worried that she had only paid attention to her because of her broken heart over Umi, so she had hesitated to talk to Yukiho about her feelings. She knew her best friend still had feelings for her, and she was so thankful for the patience she had while she sorted out her thoughts. Immense guilt also surged her body as she worried that Yukiho was putting herself in a dangerous position just to impress her, just to win her heart, when she already had.

Honoka hooted loudly for sister, jumping up and down as she cheered her on. Maki just watched on, looking impressed. Nico grumbled, and complained that Yukiho was making her look bad. Rin was also cheering loudly while Hanayo squeezed her arm from nervous anticipation. Finally, Arisa looked up at where Yukiho was climbing and called to her.

"Yukiho! I already like you!"

At that statement, Yukiho turned her head in shock and lost her grip on branch. Eli snapped her attention to her sister in bewilderment, shocked at her sudden boldness. Umi, noticing Yukiho's predicament called out in encouragement.

"Almost there! You can do it!"

Now more determined than ever, Yukiho began to climb faster towards the star. As she reached it, she extended her arm until her hands wrapped around the gold topper and yanked it out of place triumphantly.

"Wait." Maki said suddenly. Everyone turned to look at her instead of the victorious climber on the Christmas tree.

"Isn't this stealing?"

* * *

Arisa smiled down at her phone screen, rubbing at the fingerprint at the screen. Her screen displayed a photo of her with Yukiho, carrying the star between them. Once Yukiho had returned to the ground, they took the picture happily, with Umi urging them to hurry before anyone noticed they had the tree topper. Umi said she would disregard the whole stealing aspect of it just this once, in order to respect Yukiho's determination to get the star. Eli had simply given Yukiho a nod of approval and seemed to agree with Umi. Nico and Maki also took a picture with the star, since they too were a new couple. Nico had teased Yukiho about making her look bad, making the younger girl even more proud of her actions. Arisa giggled at the memory. The young blond stood to walk towards her prized possession, where it lay on her desk, the metal reflecting the moonlight brilliantly. She delicately picked it up, smiling as she replayed the nights event one more time in her mind.

She finally whispered softly.

"Harasho."

* * *

 **I hope you liked it! I will be updating more often since I finally have time :)**

 **If you're interested, please check out my other story "Don't Tell Maki". I will be updating that very soon!**

 **Thanks for sticking with me, and please leave a review! I miss reading those, they used to always motivate me to write.**

 **Until next time!**


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